Defender
by Judge1964
Summary: S3 of RTTE. After Hiccup is injured, Astrid takes it upon herself to help him back to full strength. But, as the full extent of Hiccup's injuries are realised, the seemingly easy road of recovery becomes long and treacherous.
1. Wounded

**In one of his riskiest missions, Hiccup decides to venture alone to free the Submarriper. Unable to get back to the surface before his air runs out, he is critically injured. Now, as time progresses, Astrid worries for the damages her friend still sustains, ones he might not even know about. Hiccstrid.**

**Right, so the updates to this story are going to be fortnightly (Which for those of you who play the video game by the similar name, means two weeks) because I only have an outline for this story and a few seme-chapters. Work is killing me, but I wanted to at least start this now before the Hidden World comes out.**

**Anyway, we're looking at about ten to...something chapters. We'll see where this goes. I do have a...history for taking reviews and turning them into story plots. If that happens, it's out of my hands. (Looking at you, CajunBear73! You know what you did!)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So, what's your plan again?"

Hiccup proudly gestured to the diving bell. "It's Gobber's old smelting cauldron. I should be able to use it to free the Submaripper." He winced as Astrid stared. "Don't give me that look. It's all I got."

Astrid sighed and shook her head. "I don't like this, but it's our best plan." She looked at Hiccup. "Just, be safe?"

Hiccup nodded. "I will." He climbed in the bell and looked at Fishlegs. "Okay, Fishlegs. Same as before. One tug is good, two tugs is bad."

Fishlegs nodded nervously. "One tug good. Two tugs bad. Ah, Hiccup, don't you think we should run some more tests?"

Hiccup shook his head. "There's no time! Berk is out of food. We have to do this now."

"But I-"

"Enough, Fishlegs." Hiccup sighed. "I've made my decision."

Climbing into the cauldron, Hiccup felt Astrid's arm on his. She looked worried. "Hey. You okay?"

Astrid frowned. "I don't like this plan. There are too many risks. I could-"

Hiccup cut her off. "No. I'm the leader. As well as the Chief's son. This is my responsibility." He swallowed. "Astrid, if something goes wrong, you have to get me out of there as fast as possible."

Astrid nodded. "I will. Just, promise me it won't go wrong?"

The words from long ago that he was about to say sprung into his mind. _I can't_. They were still true now. This was one of the more dangerous stunts they would pull. If that cauldron leaked, or if the chain snapped, it was over. No dragon could break it open.

The cauldron was slowly lowered into the water, and Hiccup shifted his focus. It was time to get to work.

* * *

The bell dinged once more, and Fishlegs gave a sigh of relief. "One chain left!"

Astrid, constantly scanning for any signs of ships, wasn't able to feel Fishlegs's relief. Even if there was one chain left, they still had to get Hiccup back onto the boat.

Suddenly, she saw something on the horizon. "Ah, Fishlegs? We need to get Hiccup out of there."

Fishlegs frowned. "We only have one chain left!"

Astrid pointed to where a Dragon Hunter ship was slowly sailing towards them, catapults armed. "I think they realise that too."

She reached for the lever to draw the cauldron up, but Fishlegs stopped her. "Hiccup will give us the signal when he's done. We can't risk this!"

Astrid folded her arms. "You're right, Fishlegs, we can't risk this." She pointed at the horizon, where Viggo's ship was firing boulders into the water as Snotlout and the Twins closed in on them. "Viggo is trying to rile up the Submaripper. If that dragon fires while Hiccup is still down there…"

Fishlegs remained resolute. "I know the risks, Astrid. So did Hiccup. He said not to raise the winch except for his signal, no matter what. He has this under control."

Astrid growled at his stubbornness and trained her eyes on the imperceptible shapes far below the water. "Come on, Hiccup. Hurry up."

As if Odin himself answered her plea, the bell rung twice, and Astrid sighed in relief as they began to pull Hiccup up.

Just then, a boulder from a catapult hit the winch, knocking it over. Which freed the chain from its clasp.

Which sent the cauldron sinking back towards the ocean floor, Toothless trying desperately to rescue his rider.

What happened next Astrid would never understand. A few minutes passed, and the Riders were beginning to fear the worst when the Submaripper reappeared, holding the cauldron in its jaws.

Setting the cauldron on the boat, the Sea Dragon disappeared while Astrid and Fishlegs tried desperately to free Hiccup.

Minutes later-though it felt like hours, the Twins arrived. Assessing the situation quickly (a real shock to everyone), they grabbed an iron bar and directed Barf and Belch to pull, freeing Hiccup.

Astrid quickly pulled the boy out and stared at him. "He's not breathing!"

"What?" Eyes turned to Snotlout, who had just landed. Slowly, the stocky boy's eyes narrowed and he scowled. "Twins, Fish, with me. We're going after Viggo. Astrid, get him to Gothi!"

Without waiting for confirmation, the trio took off, and Astrid desperately compressed her hands down on Hiccup's chest, trying to get him to breathe again.

Finally, he did start breathing again, but he wasn't conscious. Sighing in relief, Astrid climbed on Toothless and pulled Hiccup into her lap, directing the Night Fury to fly back to Berk.

* * *

Snotlout's eyes narrowed in fury as Viggo smirked at him. Holding his hand up to stop the Twins, Snotlout landed on the deck of the Hunter ship, drawing a sword and pointing it at the younger Grimborn. "Why would you go to all this trouble just to cause trouble to Berk?"

Viggo didn't look phased by the threat at all. "Trouble to Berk?" He smiled. "My plan was never to hurt Berk. I just needed Hiccup's connection to Berk."

Snotlout felt his stomach drop. "All of this was just to hurt Hiccup?"

Viggo shook his head. "Even a worthy opponent can still be taught. Hiccup's fault is that he is willing to rescue dragons at any cost, even if it will be to his own person. That is a weakness that will be exploited."

Snotlout's grip on the sword tightened. "By you?"

Viggo chuckled and shook his head. "No, as Hiccup and I have discussed, I am simply a business man. I have no desire to conquer. Others far more vile than me will use his attachment for dragons against him. That needed to change."

Snotlout threw his hand out towards the sea, where the tail of the Submarriper could be seen diving beneath the waves. "Even though Hiccup still beat you?"

Viggo shrugged. "Merely proves his status as a worthy opponent. An honour not given lightly."

Snotlout shook his head. "I guess not." He motioned Ruff and Tuff forward as Hookfang swooped down and grabbed his Rider, then grabbed Viggo. "But you're still coming with me."

Viggo fruitlessly struggled to be free of the dragons talons. "You will come to regret this decision, I assure you. My Tribe has much influence in the area past your Archipelago. They will ensure your demise!"

Snotlout set his jaw and stared at the horizon. "Then we'll just have to deal with them too. But you might have killed Hiccup. And for that, you will answer to Stoick the Vast."

* * *

Astrid landed on Gothi's deck and burst through the door. "Gothi!"

The old woman shambled forward, all signs of annoyance dispersing as she caught a glimpse of the unconsious boy in Astrid's arms. Silently, she beckoned Astrid to lay Hiccup on the bed in the corner of the room, then ushered her out, closing the door.

Astrid sighed and rested against Toothless. She had warned Hiccup of this. That one day, he would face a battle he couldn't win. That the odds would be too great or the price too steep.

And that price could be his life. Astrid didn't want to think about it, but she had too. The words from not-so-long-ago sprung back to her mind. _I can't imagine a world without you in it_. Both Hiccup and Astrid had said them, and both meant them with all they had. They were _so _close to taking the next step to something. A new life, one made for the both of them.

But that new life might not come now. And it was killing Astrid that this wasn't a situation she could punch or force her way through. She couldn't fight and save Hiccup's life. Not this time. It was out of her hands.

It was up to the gods.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**1). Shorter chapter (I think) but it's almost the exact same as 'Dire Straights'. Minus Hiccup waking up. The next one is fun, though. Confusing to write, but fun.**

**2). Viggo Grimborn is a fun character to write. That is all.**

**3). This story will deal with the Norse Gods more than most other stories I've read. And the reason they aren't heavily involved, fanfiction or not, is because we can't determine how real they were. Now, for the sake of Defender, I am going to assume that they _were _real. Otherwise this plot gets too coincidental for me. **

**I will say that Hiccup will have some lasting damage from nearly drowning, so go ahead and guess what that will be. I will give a shout-out to anyone who guesses correctly!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	2. No Equal

**Thanks to IHateAutocorrect, YunaNara, SamS14, ELDRA PILOT and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**Shorter chapter, and for that you have my apologies. That and I needed a way to introduce the other villians in this story. Yes, I do have an outline this time. Shocking, isn't it?**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Come on, Hiccup." Astrid knelt down, taking her unconscious friend's hand. "It's been a week. The Submarriper's gone. So is Viggo. You can wake up now."

Nothing. Just like the last ten times that day.

Astrid sighed, sitting with her back to the bed, leaning on the hard wood planks that made it up. "Your Dad's pretty worried." She smiled slightly. "Of course, he's always worried about you, even if he doesn't show it. Gothi is more pleased with your progress though. She says that you're well on track to making a full recovery."

Astrid's smile slipped. Gothi had warned her that there might be other problems, issues far harder to fix. But she couldn't talk about that. Not when there was a possibility that there was no problem.

* * *

Heather drew her knife and glared at the captured form of Viggo. "Why are you doing this?"

Viggo smirked. "Crippling Berk? Do I truly need a reason?"

Heather's grip on the knife tightened. "Yes. Because Berk was never a target of the Hunters when I was with you. So why strike now?"

Viggo shrugged. "It's proximity to Hiccup was of utmost importance. Attacking it with the Submarriper was a necessary evil."

Heather gave a short laugh. "You forget, I know you, Viggo. If you wanted to strike at a target of importance to Hiccup, you would have simply captured Astrid. You were doing something else attacking Berk." Her eyes narrowed. "What?"

Viggo smiled and sat down on the hard wooden bench in his cell. "Please, do try and figure it out. Your knack for figuring is second only to Hiccup."

Heather thought through the past few months. "You wouldn't of had any reason to attack Berk. You had just gained all their gold from Hiccup. Attacking Berk with the threat of starvation would only incite Stoick to attack you."

Viggo nodded. "Quite right. Stoick's reaction to this episode would prove to be a liability, doubly so if Hiccup hadn't of made it out of there."

"So why do it?" Heather mused to herself, shaking her head in frustration. Viggo purposely attacking Berk made no sense if his only goal was to get to Hiccup. Creating a larger divide between Berk and the Dragon Hunters wouldn't serve Viggo's plans.

Unless…it wasn't Viggo's plans it was serving. Heather turned her head back to Viggo, who had a small smile on his face. "Who do you work for?"

Viggo's smile grew. "I am simply a businessman."

Heather nodded. "A businessman who isn't at the top. A businessman who follows orders he doesn't see as necessary."

Viggo nodded. "Loyalty will get you far in life."

Heather scoffed. "It got you into this cell." She half raised the knife. "Who do you work for?"

* * *

Being in pain hurt.

Hiccup slowly exited the maw of darkness and whined in pain. Everything hurt.

Painfully, he opened his eyes slightly and saw Astrid sitting beside him. "Please tell me I still have my other leg?"

Astrid was startled out of a light doze and nearly leapt up in elation. "Hiccup! You're awake!"

Hiccup lifted his hand in a fluttering gesture. "Tired." He mumbled. "What happened?"

Astrid smiled. "You freed the Submarripper. Berk's no longer starving."

Hiccup laid back contently into his pillow. "Good."

* * *

Astrid's happiness lasted until Hiccup fell asleep and she was outside his house. Then she saw Heather looking nervous. Now on edge, she approached. "Heather?"

Heather looked up, eyes filled with hate and…remorse? "Astrid."

Astrid frowned. "What's going on?"

Heather looked back down. "I talked to Viggo."

Astrid's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Okay, and?"

Heather didn't look up this time. "I was wrong before. Viggo isn't the head of the Dragon Hunters."

Astrid scowled. That was not good news. "Do we know who is?"

Pausing for a moment, Heather shook her head. "No. But Viggo has a contemporary of sorts named Krogan. They both work for someone else, who then reports to the person in charge."

Astrid slowly nodded, a plan falling into place. "Move Viggo to Outcast Island. I don't want him here with Hiccup recovering." She looked at the approaching Snotlout and Fishlegs. "Run back to the Edge and make sure the defences are up."

The duo nodded, and Heather looked up at the Haddock House. "How is he?"

Astrid's smile briefly returned. "He was awake for a few minutes. Asked about his leg and the Submarripper."

Heather smiled too. "That's good." She sighed. "Astrid, after I drop Viggo off to the Outcasts, I'm going to lead the Riders back to the Edge to hunt for this Krogan guy."

Astrid frowned. "Why are you leading them?"

"Because I think you should stay back and be with Hiccup." Heather chuckled. "In more ways than one."

Astrid shook her head. "Look, as much as I may love to, I can't. After Hiccup, I'm the most experienced Rider. You guys need me!"

Heather nodded. "And so does Hiccup. Because we both know he is going to hurt himself even more trying to prove that this won't keep him down. He needs someone to keep him in check."

Astrid sighed and nodded. "You're right. But I want weekly updates on your progress. And when Hiccup's all better, we'll join you."

Heather nodded and started to walk to Windshear, but Astrid stopped her. "And Heather? Thank you."

Heather smiled and took off, and Astrid walked back into Hiccup's house. No matter how injured her friend was, she would stand by him to the end.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!  
**

**1). I truly enjoy Viggo Grimborn, so he's still in the story. With Heather as interrogator. Because, let's be honest, only she and Astrid would fit in that role. And Astrid wasn't about to leave Hiccup.**

**2). If everything goes as according to plan, the next chapter is a fun one that revolves around Hiccup, and I didn't want to get in to that here. Which is why Hiccup has a total of seven lines in this chapter. **

**3). Something I really liked about RttE S2 was Heather's willingness to lie to everyone who cared about her. Astrid, Hiccup, Fishlegs, Dagur, she lied to all of them, fought them, in order to get close to Viggo Grimborn. I'm not...saying she'd do that here, just...take from that what you will. I'm saying I enjoy that direction of her character.**

**As of this chapter, everything is on track. If CajunBear shows up, that may very well change. We shall see...**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	3. Storm

**Thanks to SamS14, Wildfire's Flame and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**Personally, I enjoy this chapter. That is all.**

**Enjoy!**

"Have I ever told you about the time Dad awoke in the middle of the night and thought we were back to war with the dragons?"

Astrid smiled. This sounded like a good story. "No, I don't think you have."

Hiccup grinned. "It was shortly after we defeated Dagur and rescued Dad. He had gone to sleep, and I was playing with Toothless."

Astrid nodded. "Okay, go on."

"Toothless fired a small plasma blast at a cloth I was holding up, and suddenly my Dad comes charging downstairs with his hammer in hand, muttering about '_devils breaking in'_."

Astrid laughed. "That sounds like your Dad. What did you do?"

Hiccup's grin faded. "I jumped in front of Dad to distract him until he woke up fully."

Astrid smiled. "It sounds like a Hiccupy thing to do." She kissed his cheek. "How are you feeling today?"

Hiccup frowned. "Astrid, it's been a year. You can stop worrying about me now."

Astrid nodded. "I know. But, I never really stop worrying over you. That's just how it is."

Hiccup smiled. "I guess that goes for me too." He looked around. They were standing on the edge of a cliff, looking across the sea. "This is a nice place."

"I thought so too." Astrid gestured to the woods just behind them. "I come here to keep in shape. And to think."

Suddenly, Hiccup turned to her and grinned. "You up for some training?"

Astrid frowned. "Hiccup, you can't. You're still recovering."

Hiccup scowled. "I'm fine, Astrid, trust me. You're just scared you'll lose."

She scoffed. "To you? You didn't stand a chance before…" She stopped, shaking her head. "Sorry. You want to spar?"

Hiccup nodded. "No weapons, just hand to hand."

The first round was a draw, mostly because Astrid refused to put any weight behind her punches. No matter what he said, Hiccup was still injured.

The second round was much like the first, but Astrid let Hiccup win. His self-confidence needed the boost.

He caught on. "Fight like you mean it."

So, she did. And Hiccup did very well. Until his prothetic leg got snagged on a rock and he fell over, hitting his head on the ground.

"Hiccup!" Astrid thew her axe to the side and knelt beside him as he groaned and lifted his head. "You okay?"

Hiccup frowned and looked around. "What happened? What am I doing here?"

"You tripped on a rock."

"I know that, but why am I _here_?" Hiccup shook his head. "I can't be sparring. I'm still in recovery!"

Astrid nodded. "I know, but-"

Hiccup scowled at her. "Next time you're feeling competitive, find someone else."

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup…"

He shook his head. "Whatever. Let's just go back."

**(They updated FF and no longer feature page breaks. This is mine)**

Stoick frowned as he entered his house and saw Astrid sitting on a chair. "You okay, Lass?"

She slowly shook her head. "No."

Stoick sat down opposite her. "You're worried about Hiccup."

Astrid looked down. "Yeah. He had another episode today."

"How bad?" Stoick's gaze drifted to the upper level of the house where his son was sleeping. "How much did he lose?"

Astrid sighed. "We had a conversation about him and Toothless, then he asked me to spar. While we sparred, he tripped on a rock and hit his head. After that, he asked me what he was doing there, and gave me the exact same reasons I tried to tell him for why he couldn't spar."

Stoick slowly nodded. "So he does remember _some _things?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Stoick sighed deeply as he stood. "I would suggest going to see Gothi, Lass. Alone. There may be some tips she could give you."

Astrid stood as well, suddenly angry. "I tried that already! When this all began! She didn't know anything about this!"

Stoick sat back down and gestured for Astrid to do the same. "Tell me exactly what Gothi said."

Astrid sighed. "She just said that that Hiccup's condition might go away with time."

Stoick's eyes narrowed. "Lass, you're hiding something. What is it?"

Astrid looked down. "Hiccup was always the strongest Viking, spiritually. No matter what injury he got over the years, he always came back stronger for it."

Stoick nodded. "And you think that he won't this time?"

Astrid shook her head. "If I tell him that he's…broken, I don't know what that will do to him."

The Chief sighed as he stood once more. "I don't think keeping this from him is a wise decision, but it's your call, Lass. You're closer to him than any of us." He laughed. "You've been at his bedside every day since this began!" Stoick smiled. "My son is a lucky man."

Astrid shook her head as she stood. "No. A lucky man would have had a better friend. Someone to watch out for him."

"One more thing." Stoick glanced at the ceiling. "I received a Terror Mail from the other Riders. They need your help."

Astrid sighed. "Okay. I'll leave in the morning."

**(Page Break)**

"Astrid?" Hiccup frowned as his friend climbed atop Stormfly. "Where are you going?"

Astrid sighed. "I'm going to see the Riders. Apparently they need help."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed and he nodded. "Okay." He whistled for Toothless. "Then I'm coming too."

Astrid scowled slightly. "I was going to take Stormfly and head out. Gothi and Stoick said they'd look after you while I'm gone."

Hiccup shook his head. "Hey, if the gang's in trouble, then I'm coming."

Astrid sighed. "You're just now healing, Hiccup."

"I'm fine." Hiccup closed his eyes. "More than anything, I need something to _focus on_. All this doing nothing is making get a little…fuzzy headed."

"We're just going to Dragon's Edge to-"

Hiccup cut in. "Sounds fun." He held up his hands at Astrid's stare. "I know my limits, Astrid. I take a hit, I bounce back."

Astrid nodded, a small smile cresting her face. "I know you do. You're too stubborn not too."

Hiccup grinned. "That reminds me, have I ever told you about the time Dad awoke in the middle of the night and thought we were back to war with the dragons?"

Astrid squeezed her eyes shut as they took off and desperately hoped her voice came out as normal. "Nope."

Thankfully oblivious, Hiccup happily continued. "It was shortly after we defeated Dagur and rescued Dad. He had gone to sleep, and I was playing with Toothless…"

**Chapter Notes!**

**I. I repurposed the Hiccstrid conversation from Blindsided here, reversing the roles. I couldn't really see a better time for it. Well, maybe in a chapter down the road, but let's not get ahead of ourselves...**

**II. did update within the last two weeks and they took out the line break and shortened the space between line jumps. Both of which I use frequently and am annoyed by. But, it might give me reason for sarcastic comments. **

**III. Have we figured out Hiccup's ailment yet? **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	4. Shelter

**Thanks to Godspeed83, Tahlibahli, Wildfire's Flame, SamS14 and Silvolde for the Feedback!**

**To those of who who've I've been messing with about this chapter for the past two weeks, this is for you!**

**Godspeed83: I'm not going to spoil the actual problem with Hiccup, but you are close. I suppose you'll know for certain in a few chapters.**

**Enjoy!**

**(Page Break)**

"HICCUP!"

Fishleg's scream of elation was so loud that it awoke Snotlout, who was notorious for sleeping through Dragon Hunter attacks. In moments, the Dragon Riders were assembled at the stables.

Hiccup winced as he dismounted Toothless and was instantly crushed by a Thorston Sandwich and Fishlegs, with even Heather joining in on the hug. Finally, everyone let go, and Snotlout blurted the question on everyone's mind.

"How's the head?"

In the earliest days of Hiccup's conscious recovery, he had made mention to Astrid several times of splitting headaches he would get. Astrid had passed that information on to Heather, knowing the girl was as anxious for Hiccup's recovery as she was. Heather, in turn, had evidently told the rest of the Riders, something Astrid didn't want to happen, as she didn't want to overwhelm Hiccup. She was just glad she kept the news of Hiccup's more serious issues to herself.

Hiccup, for his part, didn't seem fazed. "It's better, thanks."

Astrid stared at the Riders. "While I'm pleased to see you guys, your T-Mail said you needed help?"

Fishlegs slowly nodded. "We found out who the person behind Krogan and Viggo is."

Hiccup frowned and looked at Heather. "I don't understand. How does this help us find Shattermaster?"

Everyone froze, and Astrid laughed quickly. "Sorry, we were playing a game on the way here. About our previous adventures."

Praying desperately to all the gods that she was convincing, Astrid turned to Fishlegs. "Who's the one in charge?"

Eyes flicking from Hiccup to Astrid, Fishlegs sighed. "It's Trader Johann."

Astrid drew back in shock and stared at Heather. "When did you find this out?"

Heather was still looking at Hiccup. "As soon as we found out, we sent a Terror Mail."

Hiccup looked out towards the sea, deep in thought. "Send a Terror Mail to my Dad and our other allies." He thought back to the past year, how Johann would interact with him on Berk. "And I'm going to pay Johann a visit."

Beside him, Astrid frowned. "Are you sure that's the best idea, Hiccup?"

Hiccup sighed. "Honestly, no. But Johann knows I haven't been on the Edge recently. He would have no reason to think I know who he really is."

Heather shook her head. "So what's your plan?"

"To end this without bloodshed." Hiccup climbed on Toothless. "I have to try."

Astrid, realizing appealing to Hiccup was pointless, crouched beside Toothless. "Don't take him." She whispered. "You know what he's going through."

And know Toothless did. Countless times the past year, the dragon had watched his Rider forget. Never noticing the lapses in memory. The Night Fury could see how it was affecting his Rider's Mate, and wanted to ease her struggle. So, he did the simplest thing he could. Toothless walked over to the sunny side of the launch pad and laid down.

Hiccup shook his head and dismounted. "Useless Reptile." He muttered. He returned to the group and sighed. "Scratch that plan." He looked at Fishlegs. "Have you learned anything from the Dragon Eye?"

Fishlegs was about to nod, but noticed Astrid's glare and shook his head instead. "Not…Not that much, actually."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at his tone and glanced at Astrid, then at Toothless. Then he sighed. "Why do I feel like you guys are trying to prevent me from doing anything?"

Astrid glanced at Heather. "We're just trying to help."

"Help?" Hiccup gestured to the now sleeping Toothless. "Or protect me?"

Astrid took a step closer. "You're still recovering."

"Astrid, I'm fine." Hiccup smiled. "Trust me."

Astrid sighed. "I do trust you. You know that. But, what's your plan, Hiccup? Just walk up to Johann and try to convince him that dragons aren't the cruel monsters everyone thinks they are? That's going to get one of us killed."

Hiccup nodded. "I know. But something has to be done."

"But do you have to do it?"

Hiccup stared at Astrid for a few seconds. "What's that mean?"

Astrid, realizing her mistake, tried to back-peddle. "Nothing. I just-"

Hiccup shook his head, hurt evident in his eyes. "You are trying to keep me from doing anything. You think I'm still hurt."

Astrid tried to respond, but Hiccup just walked away, heading to the Clubhouse. As soon as he was gone, Heather looked at Astrid. "What was that?"

She sighed. "Nothing."

**(Page Break. Man, I miss those lines.)**

Hiccup sighed, shaking his head. He should have known Astrid would have reservations about him coming. She had been beside him constantly since the beginning, watching over him. Her words came back to him. _But, I never really stop worrying over you. That's just how it is._

Hiccup walked into the Clubhouse and froze, looking around in confusion. Why was he on the Edge? Didn't he and Astrid just talk about Toothless and his Dad?

"_Oh, how's Astrid's leg?"_

"Hiccup?"

"_Healing well, I trust?"_

Astrid sat down beside him, and Hiccup started. When had he sat down?

"You okay?"

Hiccup sighed and rubbed his eyes. "My migraine has a migraine." He frowned. "How's your leg?"

Now Astrid frowned. "My…leg?"

"Yeah." Hiccup stared at the wood floor, thinking hard. "We were...fighting Viggo, and…you got shot." He brightened. "Hey, maybe this will shake some memories back!"

Astrid wasn't as optimistic. "Hiccup, that was…months ago." She sighed. "I know that this past year is fuzzy, and while I'm glad you're recovering, I don't think you should be on the Edge."

Hiccup sighed. "I know, but what do you want me to do? If Johann really is behind the Dragon Hunters, the Riders are going to need you. But so do I."

Astrid stared out one of the windows. "I don't know. Plus, you are our leader. We need you as much as you need us." Now she sighed. "What if you stayed on the Edge, but didn't go on any missions?"

Hiccup closed his eyes. While he didn't like the idea, if only because Toothless was the most powerful dragon and he was the best Rider, the memory lapses seemed to be happening more frequently. Whether that was due to the stress of recovery, or something else, he didn't want to make a crucial mistake during a vital mission. After a long pause, he begrudgly nodded.

Astrid smiled at him. "Thank you." Quickly pressing a kiss on his cheek, she stood and left the Clubhouse, leaving Hiccup alone.

Once the door closed, Hiccup stood, beginning to pace. Twice now, he had slipped up. Not realising quite a bit of time had passed between now and Astrid getting shot, and forgetting where he was. They were slowly growing more severe.

They had started a few weeks ago. Exactly what they were, Hiccup didn't know. At first, they were minor. Forgetting what time it was or how long he had been outside. He never said anything to Astrid, figuring she had enough to worry about.

But they were slowly getting worse. Hiccup had hoped that, with time, they would go away, but that didn't seem likely.

All he could do was hope.

**(Page Break.)**

Astrid leaned against the door of the Clubhouse and gave a quavering sigh. For months, ever since the memory problems had begun, she had debated telling Hiccup, not wanting there to be any secrets between them. Because the last time she had lied to him, it almost destroyed their relationship.

But this was far worse than keeping Heather's secret. If there was a chance that Hiccup being kept in the dark would fix this, then it was worth whatever would happen.

Astrid would see Hiccup recover, whatever it took.

**(Page Break)**

**Chapter Notes!**

**I. I have a headcanon that Astrid's been in love with Hiccup since HTTYD 1, and chooses to express it rather than say those three words. So, she's going to do everything in her power to protect Hiccup.**

**II. The line about Astrid's leg is a reference to the S3 episode Defenders of the Wing Part One. Basically, Viggo was taunting Hiccup about Astrid's injury.**

**III. The most challenging part of this story by far is trying to maintain a balance between the Hiccup that remembers, and the memory issues. I can't have him constantly forget, but I can't have him remember everything, becasue there goes the plot. It's quite hard. Fun, yet hard.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. No Power

**Thanks to godspeed83,PrinRue, Silvolde, SadieS14 and CajunBear73 for the feedback!**

**Shortest Chapter thus far, but it's been a while, and I wanted to take it slow. **

* * *

Hiccup started as the Clubhouse door banged open, and a familiar figure entered. "Dagur?"

Dagur grinned. "Brother!" He enveloped Hiccup in a tight embrace. "How's the head?"

Hiccup smiled as he was released. "Better, thanks." He sat down, and Dagur followed. "What brings you to Dragon's Edge?"

"I have information for you. About Johann and Krogan."

Astrid, who was engrossed in a conversation with Heather, stood up and joined Hiccup. "What information?"

Dagur grinned. "About where Johann and his men meet."

Hiccup's mind spun, and he grabbed his charcoal and journal. "Tell me everything you know."

* * *

"Why are we doing this _now_?" Snotlout moaned, rubbing his eyes. "It's _too early_!"

Dagur shook his head and looked at Hiccup. "I don't know how you handle him, Brother. I would have tossed him in a volcano a _long _time ago."

Astrid grinned. "Oh, believe me, we've tried." She looked at the assembled group on the launch pad. "Listen up, everyone! Johann and Krogan are in a fortress west of Dragon Island."

Fishlegs frowned. "That's really close to Berk. How have we never noticed?"

Hiccup spoke up for the first time. "Hubris." He admitted quietly. "We were so convinced that we could win with our dragons, we grew sloppy." He glanced at the other Riders. "Alright, here's the plan. Astrid, Heather and I will sneak in from the roof. Ruff, Tuff and Snotlout, you need to cause a diversion. Draw the guards away."

"And us?" Dagur gestured to himself and Fishlegs. "I hope you're not forgetting us."

Hiccup smiled, but it seemed almost forced to Astrid. Even if the other Riders didn't know, their remarks would still sting. "No. You and Fishlegs are our reserves. Your duel Gronckle Drop move may come in handy."

As the Riders prepped, Hiccup caught Astrid's arm. "I'm not going."

Astrid frowned. "You sure? Hiccup, this is your mission. You've spent days planning it."

Hiccup shook his head. "I can't. I'm a risk now." He smiled ruefully. "Besides, someone needs to stay behind to guard the Edge."

Astrid sighed and pressed a quick kiss onto his cheek. "Alright. We'll be back soon."

Hiccup nodded. "And I'll be here. Maybe."

Astrid stopped mid-stride to stare at him. "Hiccup?"

Hiccup sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Sorry." He shook his head. "Go. I'll be fine."

Astrid squeezed her eyes shut and nodded, closing the Clubhouse door behind her. Once she was gone, Hiccup sat down in a chair and stared at the fire.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Hiccup heard the sound of talons hit the launch pad. In an instant, he was up, reaching the Clubhouse door as it was flung open, revealing the exhausted Riders.

Hiccup took in their worried faces and ushered them in. "What happened."

Heather shook her head. "It was a trap."

Hiccup frowned. "Trap?"

Astrid nodded. "Johann knew we were coming. The Island looked clear from the sky, but when we landed, dozens of ships fired at us. We barely got out alive."

Hiccup took a seat and leaned forward. "How did you escape?"

Snotlout scratched at the wet clothes on his back. "We dove the dragons into the water and flew underneath the ships." He levelled his glare at Astrid. "And some people refused to let us come up for air until we were miles away!"

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "It was the only way to escape alive, and you know it."

Hiccup held out his hands, placating the two. "Did Johann or Krogan see you emerge from the water?"

Fishlegs shook his head. "No. We could hear them celebrating too."

Hiccup slowly nodded. "They must think they killed you."

Astrid looked at Hiccup. "What are you thinking?"

Hiccup slowly smiled. "I'm thinking that we might have the upper hand for once. Now we have the element of surprise."

Snotlout stomped to his feet. "NO! We barely got out alive. If Johann thinks we're dead, it's over!"

Hiccup stood and walked over to his saddlebag. Gothi had given him some Buffalord Saliva-known to counteract a wide variety of illnesses. Following Astrid's scare with the Scourge of Odin, Hiccup and the gang had collected some of the herbs the Buffalord ate and managed to lure the beast back to Berk, planting the herbs in a field.

Astrid joined him. "You okay?"

Hiccup sighed and replaced the Saliva in his bag. "I don't know." He admitted. "Gothi warned me that the Saliva might not work with what I have."

"Does it?"

He shook his head. "Doesn't appear to." Hiccup swallowed. "But we can't focus on me. Johann and Krogan are still out there."

Astrid nodded. "So what's our next move?"

Hiccup stared at the fire. "I don't think Dragon Island is the Hunter's main base. It's too close to Berk." He looked back at Astrid. "You and Heather can shadow them."

Astrid smiled. "Good."

A shout from Snotlout drew their attention, and the duo returned to the group. "What's our plan, Hiccup!"

Astrid glared at the stocky Rider. "I just asked him, and we'-"

Hiccup grabbed her arm and frowned. "When-When did you ask me that?"

Astrid could feel Snotlout's confused stare. "Just now?"

"Hey!" Snotlout's shout drew the ire of both Hiccup and Astrid, but he continued, oblivious. "This is cutting in to my beauty sleep, so if you guys could-"

Hiccup, frustrated at his inability to recall what Astrid had asked him minutes before, glared at Snotlout. "If you think your need to complain is more important than taking down Johann and Krogan, _go whine somewhere else!_"

Astrid grabbed his arm. "Hiccup, it's okay-"

He wrenched his arm free. "No, it's not okay! Chief Stoick ordered us to find Johann and Krogan! Stoick made the call! Is that going to be good enough for you?" He narrowed his eyes as Snotlout nodded. "_Answer me_!"

Snotlout cowered back. "Yes."

Hiccup walked to the other side of the Clubhouse, leaving Astrid and Snotlout alone, the latter fuming. That is, until he recalled what Hiccup said, anger evaporating as Snotlout frowned. "There's something seriously wrong with him. He said Stoick."

Astrid sighed. She had really hoped Snotlout wouldn't catch that. "He meant Dagur."

Snotlout turned to her. "He said it twice."

When Astrid didn't answer, Snotlout turned his gaze over to Hiccup, who had taken a seat at the far side of the room, cradling his head in his hands.

Something was very wrong. Something that Hiccup had kept hidden from them. Something that Astrid knew about.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). Writing Snotlout as whiny is a true joy. **

**II). I have no proof that Buffalord Saliva is good for anything beyond the Scourge of Odin, but there isn't a whole lot of medicine in HTTYD. So, I had to take some creative liberties. Sue me.**

**III). Angry Hiccup is also a joy to write. While it may seem OOC, let's be honest. He's suffering memory loss, and frustration because of that. Besides, Hiccup yelling at Snotlout is something we've all wanted at one time or another in the series. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	6. Disaster

**Thanks to Guest, Guest and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**This Chapter has been a long time coming. I'm excited for this one, as it truly starts the plot. You guys have been asking for it about every chapter at least.**

**So, this story has ten sections to it. We're just now crossing into part III. It's definately over ten chapters...**

**Enjoy!**

**(Page Break. Sigh. Why can't we go back to the lines?)**

"So why not just go back to Berk?" Snotlout stared at the hard faces of his fellow Riders and sighed. He knew he was fighting an uphill battle, but Hiccup needed Gothi. The Edge wasn't helping him with whatever his problems were. "I mean, it's over, right? Johann and Krogan think we're gone."

Astrid shook her head. "And just leave all those dragons alone to be captured?" She narrowed her eyes at Snotlout. This wasn't just because he was lazy and didn't want to fight. He was worried about Hiccup. She could see it. "No matter how much we may want to go home, we have to see this through to the end."

Hiccup nodded. "I agree."

"I don't." Surprisingly, Fishlegs stood. "Hiccup, you're not okay." He drew back slightly as the normally amiable face of his Leader slowly creased into a scowl. "We've all seen it." The scowl deepened, and Fishlegs looked to Heather for support, who nodded. "We think that we should return to Berk-just for a little while-so you can be healed."

"Besides," Snotlout nodded at Fishlegs. "It's not like Johann's going to track us. He thinks we're dead."

There was silence for a moment before Astrid hesitantly spoke up. "I agree." She swallowed as Hiccup turned to face her, shock evident on his face. "We can go back, just for a few weeks. Long enough for you to get better."

"This isn't about me." Hiccup sighed. "It's about us."

Heather frowned. "Meaning?"

"You're in denial." Hiccup looked at each of the Riders. "Guys, the Dragon Riders did their best, but we failed. Johann is still alive. He thinks you guys are gone, but we have to go after him anyway."

Tuffnut frowned. "Why? It's over. We won."

"No, we didn't." Hiccup sighed. "If we let Johann continue to capture dragons, this war will go on forever. We have to do this. My needs can't come before all those dragons."

There was silence in the room before Snotlout groaned and slowly nodded. "He's right. It's the right thing to do."

"And I'm coming with you." Hiccup smiled at the other Riders. "This isn't my mess, but I'm going to help you clean it up."

"No, you're not." Astrid turned to him. "You're not coming. Everything you just said…I never should have let it get this far. I should have told you, Hiccup. I can't believe I-"

"Woah." Hiccup frowned and stepped towards her. "Slow down, it's okay."

Astrid shook her head. "It's not. It's _really_ not." She paused and swallowed. "You can't come. You can't fight!"

"Astrid." Hiccup frowned and took another step closer. "It's me you're talking to."

Astrid took a step back and threw up her arms. "Stop being so nice! You're sitting this one out, Hiccup. I mean it. You're still-"

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm not disabled!" His voice grew frustrated at the last word.

"You _are_!" Astrid almost yelled out. "You were _really_ hurt!"

"Yeah?"

"_Really hurt._" Astrid looked down. "More than I've told you." She took a deep breath and stared into Hiccup's eyes. "Your gaps in memory, they're…I mean…the frustration you've been feeling, Hiccup, I've had to watch you suffer. I should have said-"

"Astrid." Hiccup laid a hand on her arm. "Spit it out."

Astrid sighed. "Your injury caused something called Cerebral Hypoxia. Gothi's seen it before. We don't know the extent of the full damage, but when you almost drowned, your brain was starved of oxygen."

There was silence for several seconds, then Hiccup looked away. "For how long?"

"A while."

He looked back into her eyes. "How long."

Astrid swallowed. "Several minutes. Your brain went _minutes _without oxygen."

Hiccup was silent for a few seconds, then turned to the other Riders in a rage. "And did you all know!"

Fishlegs shook his head. "No."

"Did you!"

"No!" Ruffnut was looking at Astrid in horror.

Hiccup was shouting now. "Was I the only one who didn't know I have _brain damage_!"

Snotlout stared at his cousin. "Dude, we had no idea."

"I kept it from everyone, Hiccup."

Hiccup turned on Astrid. "Including me!"

"Yes." Astrid looked down, shame evident in her face.

Hiccup stared at her, hurt in his eyes. "How could you keep that from me?"

"I didn't want to-" She stared as Hiccup walked away. "To upset you…"

**(Page Break)**

Stoick frowned as Hiccup and Toothless landed. "Son? What are you doing back on Berk?"

Hiccup stared him straight in the eyes. "Did you know?"

Inwardly, Stoick froze. What was going on with Hiccup was one of the best kept secrets of Berk. Not only because Astrid feared Hiccup's reaction, but because Hiccup still had enemies who would use his memory loss against him in a second.

And while Stoick didn't agree with keeping the truth from the man who would be Chief soon, it was Astrid's call. She was the one who would have to deal with the consequences. And by the looks of things, she already was.

Hiccup scowled and repeated the question. "Did you know?"

Lowering his eyes, Stoick nodded. "Yes."

"And you never told me?" Hiccup's voice was shaking with quiet rage. "All those months, you just _pretended_?"

The Chief swallowed. "Yes."

"You and Astrid both."

Stoick's response was a whisper; too ashamed to speak the ugly truth any louder. "Yes."

There was silence for the span of ten seconds before Hiccup stalked away, face locked in an ugly scowl.

Stoick slowly lowered himself to the stairs of the Great Hall. It was over.

**(Page Break. Can you guys see why I like this chapter? So full of angst)**

"Astrid?" Heather tentatively touched her arm. "Are you okay?"

Astrid shook her head. "It's my fault." She whispered. "Stoick encouraged me to tell Hiccup, but I thought it would do more harm than good." She let out a bitter laugh. "Seems to be the opposite."

Heather sat beside her. "He'll forgive you. It's Hiccup." She smiled. "Besides, you two are inseparable."

"Were." Astrid corrected her. "I may have just destroyed what we had."

"He'll come back." If there was one thing Heather was sure of, it was that. "He loves you; it's clear as day."

Astrid buried her head in her hands. "You didn't see the hurt in his eyes. What I did, it ruined his trust in me."

"What do you think he'll do next?"

Instantly, Astrid straightened as Snotlout jumped off Hookfang to join them. "Aren't you supposed to be on patrol?"

Snotlout shrugged and sat down. "Went out looking for Hiccup. He's gone."

Astrid nodded. "He would have gone back to Berk. Probably asked Stoick if he knew." She lowered her head, tears slipping unbidden down her cheeks. "He's gone."

**(Page Break. So, what did you guys think? I personally loved this one.)**

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). I have a headcanon that Snotlout is secretly protective of Hiccup, he just but he buries it under feeling constantly shown up by his fishbone of a cousin. It makes for some interesting chapters in the future, at least. (Also, I've read too many 'Snotlout is an monster underserving of redemtion' stories to write ****_that _****in this.)**

**II). Hiccup may seem OOC here, but keep in mind that he's sufferend a tramatic head injury. Believe me, the way he acts in later chapters, this is tame. (DarkHiccup is my favourite)**

**III).So, **Cerebral Hypoxia **is a realy issue that affects people. The symptoms Hiccup exibits in previous chapters-primarily short term memory loss-are actual symptoms. I have done my best to accurately represent this affliction. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	7. Set

**Thanks to Guest, DANIELA123, CHSHiccstrid, Silvolde, Romantica 123 and Wildfire's Flame for the feedback!**

**Widlfire's Flame: My personal Headcanon is that Astrid was in love with Hiccup before the first movie, because no one goes from wanting to take someone's head off with their axe to wrapping their arms around them during a flight and kissing their cheek. **

**Silvolde: We have seen Hiccup angry in canon, but this story is going to go _so far _beyond that. Rageful Hiccup. Which I'm excited for. :)**

**CHSHiccstrid: I never begin a plot that has a real-world illness or disability without doing the due research. If you're going to write a story about a character being blind, take time to figure out how a blind person lives. It's a pride thing with me. :)**

**So, I know once upon a time this story was updated fortnightly, but we seem to be past those days. I'm terribly sorry these updates are so spontanious, but that's my life right now. I write when I can. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_I can't imagine a world without you in it. _

_I kept it from everyone, Hiccup._

_Including me!_

_Yes._

_I can't imagine-_

Hiccup shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Astrid had made her choice. Now he had made his.

Returning his dagger to his sheath, Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the compound before him. "This is going to be tough, Bud." He smiled softly at the returning warble. "But we can do it together."

_'There should always be a Hiccup and Astrid.'_

Hiccup frowned. That wasn't a memory. He spun and groaned. "How-How did you find me?!"

"Simple." Astrid dismounted Stormfly. "I know you, Hiccup." She sighed. "We…need to talk."

Hiccup balled his fist. "There's nothing left to talk about." He returned his gaze to the compound. "I'm taking down Johann."

"Alone?" Astrid knelt beside him. "He'll kill you."

Hiccup shrugged. "Maybe. But I have to put an end to this war." He glanced at Astrid, and his resolve faltered. Over the past four months, he and Toothless had been taking out Hunter outposts. That was likely how Astrid found him. But something Hiccup had learned was that everything was different without Astrid. It was like half of himself was missing.

Shaking his head, Hiccup fully looked at Astrid. "Do you want to help?"

_He's never where he should be._

Astrid smiled. "Sure."

* * *

"Place looks abandoned." Hiccup knelt and lightly touched the fire pit. "No embers." He stood and looked at Astrid. "There's no-one here."

Astrid nodded absentmindedly, distracted by Hiccup. He had changed in the past few months. They all had.

Following Hiccup's departure, Astrid left too, searching all over the Archipelago for her Dragon Boy. In the end, it was Alvin who had pointed her in the direction of a recently destroyed Hunter Base, the telltale burn marks of a Night Fury confirming who was attacking Johann. After that, finding Hiccup was simple.

She just had to think like him.

Returning to the Edge, Astrid had left instructions with Heather about remaining on the Edge to defend it. With two Riders down, and most of the others muttonheads, defence was key. Following that, Astrid headed straight for Johann's base, a place Snotlout-of all people-had found on a recon mission.

She needed Hiccup back. Over the past four months, Astrid had discovered that she wasn't as effective a leader as she thought she was. Or, rather, she wasn't as effective a leader when Hiccup wasn't beside her helping. It was like half of herself was missing. She missed his sarcasm, his razor sharp wit, the way he could make her laugh without trying.

Finding Hiccup was one thing. Now, she just had to get him home.

Even though now was not a good time, Astrid felt it was the only time. "Hiccup, what happened before-"

"Save it." Hiccup glanced at her as they continued down the hall. "You lied to me. You and Dad. Now you come find me after four months, and you really think all is forgiven?"

Astrid closed her eyes and sighed. "I just want you home."

There was a long pause, which gave Astrid hope he was thinking about it, before; "That isn't going to happen."

Astrid grabbed his arm. "Hiccup-"

"Well, isn't this a surprise."

Both Hiccup and Astrid-neither consciously thinking about it-moved back to back, weapons at the ready. Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Johann."

The Traitor slowly clapped his hands, mocking them. "I must admit, I was not expecting this. For the two greatest Dragon Riders to simply hand themselves over to me." He snapped his fingers and armed guards suddenly appeared, crossbows at the ready.

"Stop." Hiccup lowered Inferno and stepped forward. "I'm the one you want. Let Astrid go, and I'll stay."

She grabbed his arm. "Hiccup-"

Hiccup spared her a small smile. "It's time for you to go home." He looked over to Johann. "Do we have a deal?"

After a moment's consideration, the Traitor nodded. "We do."

* * *

Astrid found herself thrown out of the Outpost, right next to Stormfly. Her attempt to get back in was met with the slam of a door, and Astrid closed her eyes, thinking hard.

Why would Hiccup do that? Ordinarily, that type of sacrifice would make sense; that was who he was. But now? After Astrid had lied to him for over a year-something he was clearly still bitter about. Why would he allow her to live at the cost of his own?

Astrid climbed on Stormfly, intent on burning the door down, when Hiccup's voice rang out. "Leave, Stormfly! Now!"

Completely taken by surprise as Stormfly took off without warning, Astrid tugged hard on her saddle. "No, girl! We have to save Hiccup!"

The pulls doing nothing to stop her dragon, Astrid could only watch helplessly as the compound slowly faded in the distance-sealing Hiccup's fate.

* * *

Hiccup gave a small smile as the guards led Astrid away. "And how do I know you'll keep your word?"

Johann had a look of feigned shock. "Master Hiccup, I am a man of my word."

Hiccup snorted. "Believe it when I see it." He narrowed his eyes. "Leave, Stormfly! Now!"

The sound of a Nadder squawking and wings flapping caused him to smile, and he rushed Johann, raising Inferno. But the Traitor was quicker than he looked, for Johann simply sidestepped the attack and kicked Hiccup's legs out from under him.

In an instant, Inferno was hurled across the room, and Johann's knee was at his throat. "I have spent _years _fooling every Viking in the Archipelago, including you and your idiot father! Do your really think I'm going to let everything I've built come crashing down because some impudent teen takes offence with my actions!"

Hiccup could feel his face turning blue as he struggled for air, but suddenly the pressure was lifted. "Wha-"

Johann snapped his fingers. "Beat him, and throw him in the sea." He smiled sadistically. "I'm going to enjoy watching you scream, _Master Hiccup_."

* * *

Astrid let out a yell of anger as Stormfly flew back to Dragon's Edge. Stupid Noble Hiccup. Sacrificing himself for her.

She closed her eyes and thought back to the beginning. Hiccup Haddock had always caught her eye, even when he was unofficially 'Useless'. That nickname had always angered her. Born out of Snotlout's jealousy, it was something that was whispered whenever Hiccup accidentally destroyed something.

But Hiccup was far from useless. Astrid had discovered that on her tenth birthday, when a blushing and stammering Hiccup had gifted her a dagger, citing something her father had drilled into her head, a warrior should always have a backup weapon.

Astrid removed the dagger from its hidden holster, twirling it around her fingers. She would never admit this aloud, but she was better with the dagger than the axe. She was amazing with both weapons, but the simple fact that Hiccup had given her the dagger inspired her to train ferociously with it.

Astrid returned the dagger to her sheath and sighed. Hiccup had always been interesting to her, because no matter how many times he was beaten down-sometimes literally-he got back up. It was a strength she envied. And slowly, without her realizing it, she had developed a crush on the fishbone.

A crush she found out she had around the time Dragon Training began, and one she buried under the need to win. The need to please her parents, to avenge her uncle. To regain the honour that the Flightmare had stolen all those years ago.

But then _Hiccup_, skinny sarcastic _Hiccup_, suddenly began to win. After showing zero skill the first two sessions, he began to dominate, beating everyone. And while Astrid was secretly proud of what the boy had accomplished, a larger part of her-to her shame-was furious when Hiccup actually _beat her_, winning the honour of killing the Nightmare.

So Astrid followed him, intent on gaining answers. Intent on discovering the truth of how the little hiccup, her secret crush, had become so talented so fast.

She had found out. On the back of a Night Fury.

After a charming flight that caused Astrid to fully realize her feeling for the auburn fishbone, she had kissed his cheek, opening the door for something new. Something different.

Even if it would take four years.

They had withstood test after test. Alvin, Dagur, Viggo. Ryker, Savage and now Johann. Tests that they had come out stronger for.

This new test was different. Astrid had nearly destroyed their friendship the last time she had lied to Hiccup, why had she thought this would be _any _different? She had brought this rift upon herself.

And she had no idea how to fix it.

She had no idea if Hiccup was still alive.

* * *

Johann watched as his guards dumped Haddock's body in the ocean. "He still alive?"

Crele nodded. "For now." He grinned. "He won't make it far."

Johann didn't share his optimism. "Did you find the Night Fury? If that dragon catches Haddock's scent, all this is for naught."

Crele lifted his crossbow. "Do you want me to kill Haddock?"

The Traitor considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "No. As much as I'd like to, our employer was adamant that Haddock was not to die by our hand." He smiled. "Let the water do it for us."

* * *

Astrid landed on the Edge, ignoring the calls of her friends. She just wanted to be alone. To mourn Hiccup. And to curse out Stormfly some more. She slammed her fist against the wall, letting out another scream of rage.

The idiot had died alone, forcing her dragon to take her away. Leaving himself alone to face Johann.

Now he was gone.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). I have a basic outline that has ten points. Chapter 1 was point 1. Chapters 2-6 was point two. Chapter seven was all of point three. _Now_ it get's exciting!**

**II). Let's be honest, even if Hiccup was filled with anger and fury towards Astrid, he would still sacrifice himself for her in a heartbeat. **

**III). I stand by my belief that Astrid loved Hiccup before HTTYD. It makes so much sense. That first cheek kiss seems out of place-especially when she was just threatening him with her axe-until you factor in maybe Astrid always loved Hiccup. What are your guys's thoughts?**

**I will update this story...eventually. Hopefully. **

**I'll be back. Probably. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Broken

**Thanks to WhenHiccupWrites, Guest, CHSHiccstrid, DANIELA123, Guest, Silvolde and Romantica 123 for the feedback!**

**Guest: That was deep. I do agree with that, the idea that we each have someone who is-for lack of a better term-made for us. Someone who balances us out. Hiccup and Astrid fufill that role nicely. **

**CHSHicstrid: Hiccup's not going to die. He's suffered a lot-and still will-but I'm not going that far (probably). Whether or not the Riders believe that is a different matter all together. **

**I tried a different layout for this chapter. It's basically several months at once. I'll explain more at the end.**

**This chapter contains heavy material including attempted suicide. If that triggers you in any way, stop reading at the sixth page break and I will summerise what you missed in the next chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Day Sixteen**

* * *

Hiccup gasped in pain and opened his eyes, squinting at the harsh daylight streaming through a cave opening. "Hello?"

The sound was weak, pitiful, and he swallowed before trying again. "Hello?"

Footsteps sounded somewhere on his right, and a woman's voice sounded. "…feeling?"

Hiccup frowned and concentrated as the woman spoke again. "…hear me?"

The voice was closer, but distorted. Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Startled, Hiccup rolled to the left, nearly falling off the bed he was lying on. Bed?

Hiccup turned his left ear to the figure, and sounds became clear. "Can you hear me?"

He nodded. "Where am I?"

The figure-a woman-smiled. "Safe. I found you in the water, beaten half to death. I brought you back here."

"Are you with the Hunters?"

The woman held up her hands. "No. The Dragon Hunters are my enemies."

Hiccup laid back down, relieved. After a moment, he spoke. "Do you have a name?"

Silence reigned for a second before the woman hesitantly spoke. "Valhallarama. And you are?"

"Hiccup Haddock." Hiccup closed his eyes, trying desperately to ignore the fact that sounds were muffled on his right side. "What's wrong with me?"

Valhallarama sighed and sat down. "You were severely beaten. You have several broken ribs, a few minor cuts, and a broken right leg." She hesitated. "You're also deaf in your right ear."

Hiccup looked down, shocked to see his leg heavily bandaged. "Wha-How-"

"You didn't notice it because you can't feel pain for the moment." She chuckled at Hiccup's bewildered look. "I trained as a healer some time ago. Some dragon poison is remarkably useful if added to various medicine. Such as Speed Stinger venom."

Hiccup was far too tired to figure out how _that _worked. "Thank-Thank you."

* * *

**Day Twenty-Four**

* * *

"AGH!" Hiccup nearly swore as his first attempt at taking a step ended with him collapsing to the stone floor. "Thor!"

Valhallarama rushed in, a look of concern on her face. "Are you alright?"

Hiccup levelled himself back onto his bed, a sullen look on his face. "I'm done." He admitted. "I can't hear out of my right ear, my memory's fading, and I can no longer walk." He turned and faced the wall, putting his deaf ear to Valhallarama. "It's over."

She was silent for a moment. "I think you're extremely brave, giving up like this." She sat down. "Really, I do. Some people lose arms or eyes and keep going-the little cowards-but you-"

Hiccup waved his hand in her general direction. "I get it."

"You have friends, a dragon that cares about you beyond his own life, a bright future ahead of you, and you're bravely giving up."

"Well, thank you for the tough love, Valhallarama." He begrudgely sat up, carefully to avoid pulling on his mending ribs. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but don't you for a second think you know anything about me or my life."

He could see a sad smile on her face, along with a tinge of regret in her eyes. "Maybe not. But I know self-pity when I hear it."

Hiccup laid back down. "I'm not who I was. I'm…different."

"Maybe that's for the best." Valhallarama leaned forward. "Change is inevitable, kiddo. We all go through it."

Hiccup slowly nodded. "Maybe."

* * *

**Day Forty-Five**

* * *

Hiccup winced as he bumped into a stone pillar, but kept limping along. Just a few weeks since he had awoken, and he was determined to walk again.

Valhallarama commented from her seat in the centre of the room. "You're taking it too fast."

Hiccup grunted. "I have to." He swung his arms in an attempt to compensate. "Johann-the man who did this to me-is still out there, and he will attack the Riders."

"Your friends?"

Hiccup stopped and looked at her. "I can't afford to have friends. Not anymore."

Valhallarama frowned and leaned forward. "That's a new one. What's brought this on?"

Hiccup leaned against the cold wall. "I had friends. I had a life." He gestured around the cave. "And look where that got me. Johann has to be stopped." He paused. "I have to stop him."

"What do you friends have to do with that?"

Hiccup sighed. "My friends will just try to stop me. From…doing what I have to." He closed his eyes. "I have to cut them loose."

When he opened his eyes, Valhallarama was gone.

* * *

**Day Seventy**

* * *

"What in Thor's Name are you wearing?"

Hiccup looked up from his boots. "A new outfit." He grabbed his new mask and stood, facing Valhallarama. "My old armour was destroyed by Johann. I need something new. Something he won't recognise."

The outfit, a black tunic with Toothless' shed scales sown on, would allow him to blend in with shadows. Same with the black pants and mask. The boots, one specially designed to hide his prosthetic, had several cylinders filled with various dragon gas in them. In theory, the entire uniform would allow him to safely pass through fire.

Valhallarama scowled. "You still can't hear out of your left ear, you can barely run, and every so often I have to remind you of conversations we've had. And you think that you can defeat Johann while in this state?"

"Doesn't matter." Hiccup stood and slipped on his mask, obscuring the upper half of his face. "He has to be stopped." He whistled and smiled as Toothless bounded towards him. "I'll be back. Probably."

Valhallarama watched as the boy and dragon soared away. "Odin, keep him safe."

Hiccup yelled in excitement. He hadn't been able to fly on Toothless since he had woken up in the cave. The freedom of flight was exhilarating.

Even if he could only hear the wind through one ear.

* * *

"We don't know he's dead." Even if it was tactless, Snotlout knew how Astrid was suffering. "Maybe-"

She shook her head. "He's gone, Snot. Ordered Stormfly to leave." She looked up through red eyes. "It's been months. Even if he was alive, don't you think he would have found us?"

"If he was gone, don't you think Toothless would have come back?" Snotlout argued. "Don't you want to take a second and be absolutely sure that Hiccup isn't still out there?"

Astrid slammed her fists on the table. "He's _dead_, Snot!" Tears slipped down her cheeks and she hugged herself. "He's gone."

* * *

Hiccup narrowed his eyes as he passed through Berk. His route to Johann apparently led straight through his old village. And it looked like he arrived in time to watch an attempted kidnapping.

Two men-clearly not Berkians-were attempting to take a seven-year-old girl onto their ship, one Hiccup identified as a Hunter ship. With Berk still suffering because of Hiccup's stupidity, security at the docks would be lax.

Evidently too lax. Hiccup leapt off Toothless, gliding towards the would-be kidnappers. This was also a good chance to test out the latest iteration of the DragonFly.

Landing just in front of the men, he ignited Inferno, smiling as their jaws dropped as a shadow suddenly lit up. Hiccup lifted the sword, pointing it at the men. "Let her go."

One of the men charged him, while the other began struggling with renewed vigour to take the girl. Hiccup ducked under the first's punch and hit him in the back of the head with the butt of Inferno, knocking him to the ground. With impeccable aim-thanks to countless hours training with Toothless-Hiccup hurled Inferno into the second's knee, sending him to the ground with a cry of pain.

Seizing the moment, Hiccup flipped his mask up and crouched next to the frightened girl. "You need to go back home." He gently whispered. It was too dark to make out any facial features, both on himself and the girl. Hiccup gestured back to the village. "Tell your parents what happened."

Hiccup knew the risks. The girl could expose his identity, but securing Berk was more important. He stood and flipped his mask down as the men stood, one gingerly leaning on a railing. "This wasn't any of your business."

Hiccup smiled under his mask and balled his fists, waiting for the first attack. He was confident in his ability, having trained with Astrid for years now. They were at the point where they were evenly tied. And if you could beat Astrid Hofferson, there wasn't a Viking alive who could take you down.

The first man went for much the same move as before, fist flying out towards his face. Hiccup ducked under it, but misjudged the skill of his opponents. In an instant, the first man turned around and grabbed Hiccup's arms, forcing them behind his back, while the second began to hit him.

Hiccup did his best not to cry out, not wanting to alert Berk of his presence. Eventually, the men got tired of their sport and the second ripped Inferno out of his leg, pointing it at Hiccup. "Shouldn't have gotten involved." Hiccup waited for the final blow, but it never came. Instead, his sword was deactivated and tossed at his feet.

The men made to go back onto their ship, but Hiccup slowly rose up from off the ground. "Wait." He coughed, watching the men turn around. He tossed Inferno back to them, falling to his knees. "Odin forgive me."

The first man ignited Inferno, holding it just under Hiccup's chin. "You wanted this."

Before he could strike, shouts from the village were heard, and Vikings were heading down to the docks. The two men dropped Inferno and scampered back to their ship, leaving Hiccup kneeling in the dirt.

And when Stoick would finally arrive, there would be nothing left.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). A broken leg can take up to eight weeks to heal. Combine that with Hiccup's lack of left leg and other injuries, and I rounded up the total to ten weeks. Plus I needed him gone for a long time. Hiccup's whole mindset has changed, yes, but most of that is due to the hand he's been dealt. Finding out the love of his life and his father have been keeping a _huge_ secret from him for over a year would shatter his faith in his friends, and failing to defeat Johann would ruin his faith in himself. So that's why Hiccup's different in the beginning. As for the end, Hiccup thinks he has nothing left. He can't even defeat two Hunters, how is he going to defeat Johann? **

**II). I just want to say that A. Suicide is never the answer. Here, Hiccup is ultimately running from all his problems. It takes strength to stand and fight back, something he is going to learn. B. Toothless saved Hiccup. Toothless is a good friend. Everyone, find a Toothless in your life, and don't let them go. PSA over.**

**III). To clarify the ending, I see the whole fight happening in less than five minutes, during which time, Toothless was gliding. Upon seeing the Hunters about to kill Hiccup, he swooped down and grabbed him. HICCUP IS STILL ALIVE! **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	9. Testify

**Thanks to CHSHiccstrid, DANIELA123 and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**Shorter chapter, but you guys'll like the next one, I promise. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey." A slap to his shoulder woke Hiccup up, and he groaned, staring up at Valhallarama. "What happened last night?"

Hiccup closed his eyes and drew his arms around his knees. "Go away."

A hand appeared under his arm. "I put way too much work into you for you to quit now." Pressure increased, and Hiccup was forced up. "You picked a fight and lost." She narrowed her eyes. "Or were you trying to lose?"

Hiccup ignored the question and walked to the hot springs off the main area of the cave. Dipping his hands in the warm waters, he washed his face, wincing at the cuts on it. "Why did you come here?"

He could sense Valhallarama's shock. "What?"

Hiccup turned to her. "You obviously weren't born here, you had to come from somewhere. Why move here?"

Valhallarama looked down. "I was taken." She admitted quietly. "From my family and my home."

"Did you grieve?"

There was silence for a moment. "Yes."

Hiccup sensed there was a larger story, one that was being hidden, but ignored it and turned around. "Then leave me alone."

* * *

"Astrid."

At the Chief's voice, Astrid turned around, shocked as always at the changes he had gone through in the past few months. His beard was streaked with grey, and he was always looking tired. She knew why. "Yes, Chief?"

Stoick looked down. "Your sister was attacked last night. She-" He stopped talking as Astrid raced off towards Stormfly, heading back to Berk. "Aye."

Astrid leapt off Stormfly and ran into the newly rebuilt Hofferson house. "Mom! Dad!"

Ingrid and Axel Hofferson met her with smiles and hugs, but Astrid could sense the underlying fear too. "How's Brenna?"

Ingrid sat down. "Shaken." She admitted. "We all are."

Astrid sat down as well. "How'd she escape? The Hunters are relentless."

Axel shrugged. "Someone fought them off."

"Who?"

"We have no idea." Ingrid looked at her husband. "No one in town did it. Whoever it was just appeared and disappeared."

Astrid leaned forward, interest piqued. "Did Brenna say anything about him?"

Axel shook his head. "No. All she mentioned was that he had a flaming sword."

* * *

"He's _gone_, Astrid!" Heather shook her head. "You know I want him alive as much as you, but there's no way Johann would have let Hiccup out of there!"

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Then explain the flaming sword. No one else even _knows _how that thing works! Not even I do! It _has _to be him!"

"If it was really him, if Hiccup was somehow still alive, don't you think he would have reached out to us?" Heather put a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "It's been _months_, Astrid. He would have found us."

Astrid nodded. "I said something similar to Snotlout. But think about it. Hiccup was extremely angry when he left here. He was still angry when I found him. There's no reason he would come back here."

Heather sighed. "Then why go to Berk? If he's alive and that angry, why would Hiccup go back?"

Astrid chuckled. "It's _Hiccup_. He could never see someone suffering and walk away."

"So how are you going to find him?"

* * *

Valhallarama was shocked to come in to the main room and find Hiccup punching a sack of potatoes. "What are you doing?" She chided. "And where did you get that? Potatoes are extremely rare."

Hiccup stopped beating the helpless fruit long enough to send her a stare. "I need to train." He resumed his assault. "If I lost to two men, Johann's not going down."

Valhallarama looked down. "There are other paths. You don't have to…do whatever it is you plan on doing."

Hiccup let out a laugh. "_Other paths. _You mean a peaceful resolution?" He shook his head. "Johan isn't going to just give up. He wants the King of Dragons. I have to stop him before he gets to it." He gestured to the outside of the cave, where the Bewilderbeast lived. "You know what that dragon can do. If Johann finds one…"

Valhallarama nodded. "It'd be the end of all dragons." She sighed. "Do you have to do this alone? Your friends, the Riders, they can help you."

Hiccup stopped punching and turned to her. "Not anymore." He looked out the cave opening. "They'll just try to talk me out of doing this. Doing what I have to."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Valhallarama looked at him. "You're talking about killing someone."

Hiccup sighed. "He has to be stopped. Just locking him up isn't going to change anything."

Valhallarama chuckled. "Have you seen Outcast Prison? I doubt he'd get away from Alvin."

Hiccup moved to his bed and sat down. "Johann helped Dagur escape from Outcast Prison." He looked at Valhallarama. "Maybe it could work, but Johann would have to be locked up on Berk or Berserker Island or somewhere secure."

"So what's your plan?"

* * *

"I didn't think I would ever see you again."

Hiccup leant against the wall. "Save it. I need information."

Viggo chuckled. "And what makes you think I have what you desire?" He gestured around his cell. "I'm not particularly kept up to speed these days."

"I doubt that." Hiccup shook his head. "Where's Johann?"

Viggo smiled. "Why would I divulge the location of my employer?"

Now Hiccup smiled. "Johann isn't your employer, we both know that. You gave him up once to Heather, you'll do it again."

Viggo scoffed. "Heather possesses a certain quality you lack. She can be quite brutal when the need arises. An attribute shared by your Astrid. Withholding information from either of them would only result in increasing my discomfort." He chuckled. "But with you? You lack that brutality."

Hiccup smirked and withdrew Inferno. "Maybe I'm not feeling myself tonight." He relished the look of real fear on Viggo's face. "Where is Johann?"

"Closer than you think, _Master Hiccup_."

Hiccup spun and whirled Inferno at the Traitor, who simply disappeared into the network of tunnels that was Outcast Prison. He glanced at Viggo, who had a smug smile on his face, then gave chase after Johann.

Ten minutes later, Hiccup-out of breath-stopped at the harbour, shocked at not finding a single non-Outcast ship. "What in the name of Thor…?" He got out his spyglass and scanned the horizon, eyes narrowing as Johann's ship was sailing out of range of his tool.

Hiccup turned. "To-" His hands dropped as Toothless was rolling around, surrounded by Dragon Nip. He had been toyed with by Johann.

But why? Johann's true identity was known by Stoick, Dagur and Alvin. Showing up anywhere in the Archipelago was incredibly risky. There was no-

Viggo.

Leaving Toothless, Hiccup ran back into the Prison, stopping with wide eyes as Viggo's cell was empty. "ARGH!"

"Looking for someone?"

Hiccup stiffened and turned to see Johann standing there, crossbow in hand, pointed at Hiccup. "Seems we're at an impasse."

"Wha-"

Johann took a step closer, and Hiccup back. "Viggo betrayed me. Stranded me here with you." Johann smiled. "But at least I get to kill you."

"Oh, I really doubt that." Alvin the Treacherous stepped into the room, sword at the ready. He pointed it first at Hiccup. "You and I will speak later, 'Iccup." Then he moved it to Johann, who shrunk back ever-so-slightly. "And you are now a guest of Outcast Island." He grabbed the Traitor by the neck and threw him into the cell. "Enjoy."

* * *

Hiccup sighed. "Thanks."

"What're yer doing here, 'Iccup?" Alvin took a seat in the Great Hall. "Yer Father is mad with worry for you."

Hiccup sat opposite him. "I was just here to speak to Viggo. I thought he could lead me to Johann."

Alvin laughed. "Seems that was the right play." He grinned. "You've captured the 'ead of the Dragon Hunters!"

"And Viggo has escaped." Hiccup shook his head. "Between the two, Viggo is far harder to defeat. He-" Hiccup stopped, eyes narrowing.

"'Iccup?"

Hiccup shook his head and refocused on Alvin. "What was I saying?"

Alvin sighed. "Yer Father told me about yer issues. I am sorry, 'Iccup."

Hiccup stood. "Keep as many men on Johann as you can. Keep him isolated. Do whatever it takes to keep him secure. Dagur once escaped from here, we can't have Johann doing the same."

"What're you going to do?"

Hiccup moved to the door. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). Interesting Observation: In my head, Snotlout has been after the Chiefdom of Berk since before the first movie. He bullied Hiccup and went after Astrid because he figured Snotlout was the logical choice for next Heir. Then the Red Death happened and Snotlout redoubled his efforts to gain Astrid's affection. We also see little snips at Hiccup's confidence, ie when Hiccup tells Mala he'll go first to face the Dragon Nest, and Snotlout comments 'Even though you're not the leader, you should go first'. In the third movie, Snotlout is hitting on Valka (creepy until you consider that he's doing it in an attempt to have a higher claim to the the throne by marrying a former Chieftess.) He also makes numerous remarks about him being number two becoming number one. Admittedly, it's a stretchy theory, but it makes a certain amount of sense. **

**II). I actually dislike Johann. The twist was good and I didn't see it coming, but he's no Viggo. On that note, when Viggo was with the Hunters, they captured Berk, the Edge, Hiccup (numerous times), but after Viggo, the Hunters were defeated in four episodes. Coincidence? **

**III). Viggo's coming back in an unexpected way soon. :)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	10. Need

**Thanks to CHSHiccstrid, ThermiteHawk, DANIELA123, Silvolde and Romantica 123 for the feedback!**

**Terribly sorry, once again this is a shorter chapter, but it is earlier than usual. So, silver lining? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Fishlegs was busy working on Dragon Eye notes. Even if the Hunters still had it, there was always new information to be discovered. They-

"Fishlegs."

The whisper caused him to look around in confusion. "H-Hello?"

"Up here."

Fishlegs looked up and grinned as the head of Hiccup could just be seen poking out of his window. "Hiccup!"

"SHHH!" Hiccup looked around and swung himself into Fishlegs's room, startled as the larger boy wrapped him in a hug. "Wha-"

After a moment, Fishlegs released him. "We all thought you were dead!"

"I'm sorry."

Something about the monotonous tone of the apology caught his attention. "Does Astrid know you're back yet?"

Hiccup nodded towards the bed. "Take a seat." After Fish was seated, Hiccup continued. "I'm not back."

Fishlegs gave a nervous laugh. "I'm eighty-nine percent sure I'm not hallucinating right now."

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I'm…not back. Hiccup the Berkian isn't going to be a part of me anymore. I'm leaving him behind."

Fishlegs's eyes widened. "What?"

"The only reason I came here was to warn you and the other Riders." Hiccup sighed. "Viggo's out and you're all in danger."

"Hiccup-"

He continued like Fishlegs had never spoken. "I've had a rough couple of months, Fish. But last night everything became clear. I'm going after him. I'm going to find a way to bring Viggo down."

"But Astrid is-"

Hiccup shook his head. "She's nothing to me. Not anymore." His voice grew angry. "When you're misled about your _own brain damage_-" Hiccup visibly calmed. "I'm going to handle Viggo, but I can only do that if I know you guys are safe."

"Listen-"

"I know Astrid's going to want to get involved, so I'm telling you, stay away." Hiccup stood.

Fishlegs stood as well. "No!"

Hiccup was silent for a moment. "'No'?"

Fishlegs nodded. "You don't get to come in here and say something like that and expect me to be okay with it. Hiccup, you're my best friend!"

Hiccup sighed. "See, I was wrong to become your friend. This life, the dragon saving one, doesn't work with friends. Friends are something Viggo will use to destroy you. And if you were serious about beating him, you'd cut them loose." He moved for the window.

Fishlegs shook his head. "There's something seriously wrong with you."

Hiccup paused on his way out the window. "Yeah, I know. Stay away from Viggo, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Astrid I was here."

"Hiccup." Fishlegs watched as his friend slipped out the window. "Hiccup!" He hissed.

For a brief moment, Fishlegs wondered what had happened to Hiccup to change him so much. Then he looked around the room and his eyes widened. All his Dragon Eye research was _gone_.

* * *

The persistent knock on the door of Astrid's hut had Heather-to her regret-shaking her awake. She had been going non-stop to find Hiccup, and had collapsed into the bed mere hours before.

Heather tried not to wince as Astrid awoke and thrust a dagger against her throat before fully awakening. "He-Heather?"

Heather nodded imperceptibly and sighed as the dagger was removed. "Sorry. Fishlegs is knocking."

Astrid paused in the midst of putting on her shoulder pads to send Heather a sly look. "And you think that knock was for me?"

Heather blushed but nodded. "You should answer it."

Smiling, Astrid opened the door, smile fading as she saw the worried look on Fishlegs's face. "Fish?" The smile altogether disapeared as she took in the nervous stance of his entire body. "Something happened?" Fear became evident in her eyes. "Is it Hiccup?" Astrid pressed a hand over her mouth as Fishlegs just looked at her. "They found a body?"

Fishlegs nervously shifted from one foot the the other. "I promised myself I would never lie for Hiccup. Not after seeing what happened last time."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?" She slowly smiled as Fishlegs hesitated. "He's alive." She didn't wait for Fishlegs to confirm, she ran off in the direction of Hiccup's hut. "Hiccup!"

Sighing, Fishlegs ran after her. "He's not there, I checked."

Ignoring him, Astrid barged in, scanning the room. "Why? Why would he let us think he was dead?"

Fish stopped beside her. "It wasn't Hiccup I saw, Astrid. Not really." He shrunk back at the duel glares Astrid and Heather sent his way. "It was Hiccup." He amended. "But the way he spoke to me…" He shook his head. "I think Johann killed a part of him."

Astrid sighed. "What did-What did he want?"

"Get the other Riders." Fishlegs's moved to the door. "We'll talk in the Clubhouse."

* * *

Hiccup stared at the wall. "Come on, come on."

"What in Thor's name are you doing now?"

He tilted his head and regarded Valhallarama. "I got these notes from Dragons Edge. I have to figure out what Viggo's planning."

Valhallarama's reply, muffled as it was through his bad ear, was still heard. "And why not ask your friends?"

Hiccup stubbornly shook his head. "Can't. Viggo is my fight. I'd just be putting them at risk."

"Do you really think that they'll just sit back and watch you fight without getting involved?"

Hiccup slowly turned to her, a look of amazement on his face. "Say-Say that again."

"Why?" Valhallarama snorted. "Has reason finally come over you?"

A look of pure wonder crossed over Hiccup's face. "I can hear you."

Valhallarama's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Hiccup snapped his fingers beside his right ear. The sound came in as clear as it did before Johann's beating. He laughed, eyes lighting up in pure joy. "I can hear." He turned to the cave exit, listening to the constant sounds of dragons flying and conversing. Sounds that, until now, could only be partially admired.

"I can hear everything."

* * *

"Why are we meeting _now_?" Snotlout moaned. "I'm missing my sleep!"

Beside him, Heather's elbow ended up in his side, and he yelped. "We received some startling news. Viggo's been released from Outcast Prison."

Now focused, Snotlout's eyes narrowed. "How? Who told you?"

Astrid closed her eyes. "Hiccup."

The Clubhouse exploded into noise, and Astrid planted her axe into the table, silencing them. "We don't have time to deal with Hiccup right now. Viggo is our priority."

"Astrid." Fishlegs sighed. "Hiccup said he'd take care of Viggo, but he needs us out of the way." He was quiet for a minute. "I think we should."

Astrid shook her head. "No. We need to take Viggo down. If Hiccup's not going to help us, we do it ourselves."

"Astrid." Heather laid a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you want to find Hiccup? You just received news he's _alive_."

Astrid turned away, staring at the Maces and Talons board. "If he's alive, and hasn't come to us yet, that means he doesn't want to be found. We can't afford to wait for Hiccup to get his head out of his-"

Snotlout stood. "So you're going to let the guy who has _brain damage_ fight everything alone? He scoffed. "So much for Hiccstrid."

In an instant, Astrid's axe was at his throat, and Snotlout backed off. "Sorry." He mumbled as the axe was removed. "But explain your reasoning for leaving Hiccup alone."

Astrid returned her axe to her back and sighed. "He's changed." She admitted. "Before I found him, Alvin took me to a destroyed Hunter Base, telling me of the Night Fury burn marks there. Hiccup had been attacking the Hunters ever since he left."

Snotlout frowned. Astrid had never told them any of this. "Did he kill anyone?"

"No." Astrid gave a small smile. "He never crossed that line. But he might. If we don't capture Viggo first, Hiccup might kill him."

There was silence for a moment, until a Terrible Terror flew in, bearing a note. Quickly, Astrid unfurled it, standing in shock. "We need to head home right now."

Fishlegs stood too. "What?"

Astrid held the note up. "Berk is under attack."

Heather grabbed it and stood. "Then we need to go." She glanced at the other Riders. "Saddle up, guys. We're headed home."

* * *

Hiccup let out a yell of exhilaration, relishing the sounds coming through his right ear. Flying Toothless was always a thrill, but being able to hear? Even more so.

Toothless let out a bark of excitement as well, thrilled for his rider. He had noticed how different Hiccup had become in the past few months, ever since he had separated from his mate. Even more so in the past few weeks, ever since he had wound up in the cave. The dragon hoped now, with his hearing fully restored, his Rider would go back to being Hiccup.

The faint smell of smoke hit the dragon's nostrils, along with the scent of death, and Toothless banked, headed towards the source. Hiccup had recently been going after any Viking-Hunter or not-who was hurting people, and this would be something he would want to see.

Slowly, the path became more familiar, and Toothless doubled his speed when he realised where they were headed.

Berk.

Home.

Hiccup's scent carried fear, but Toothless didn't have time to question it. The only thought running through the Night Fury's head was that his home was under attack, and that they had to get there soon. Before it was too late.

Hiccup let out a gasp as they stopped before the village to see it covered in fire. There were ships moored in the harbour fire-bombing the village, taking no care to truly aim.

Worst was the Academy. The A-team usually drilled in the former Arena, but now the only exit to it was blocked by boulders, with all the dragons still inside. Without them, Berk was defenceless.

It was going to be a massacre.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). I had several revisions for this chapter, including a scene where Hiccup shows up during that Dragon Rider meeting to just give another warning to stay away before disapearing again. I liked it, but Hiccup appearing to just Fishlegs versus all the Riders carried more weight. Now Astrid gets to wonder why Hiccup is staying away from her. **

**II). So, Hiccup gets his full hearing back, which is in part why I introduced this story saying there'd be more involvment from the mythological gods like Odin and Thor. Now he can hear all the comments he's been trying to ignore from Valhallarama. (That is a ridiculous name to type. Ugh)**

**III). Sounds like Hiccup and the Riders are on a collision course, doesn't it? Also sounds like there may be a Hiccup/Stoick encounter or a Hiccup/Astrid encounter in the future, huh? Not-Not saying it's going to happen, but who knows?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	11. Hopeless

**Shortest chapter of them all, but honestly I wasn't sure what to write here. This is very much the bridge between everything. An important chapter, yes, but not a very lengthy one. **

**Also, I'm running out of WiFi here, so this is all there is. The next one is good, though. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Trembling with indecision, Hiccup fired a plasma blast at the Academy doors, almost sagging in relief as the dragons flew out with their Riders. At least with the A-team out, it'd be something closer to a fair fight.

Next, Hiccup-amid some minor cursing-grabbed Sharpshot out of his saddlebag and scribbled a note, attaching it to the Terrors leg. "Go to the Edge!"

The small dragon took off, and Hiccup watched him go amid some trepidation. He believed what he had told Fishlegs. Friends were a liability.

But allies were useful.

Out of the smoke and ash, Hiccup picked out the blown doors of the Great Hall, with scorch marks indicating a battle. The Hunters had come specifically for the Chief. In that moment, forgetting everything wrong Stoick had done against him, Hiccup leapt off Toothless, diving for the Hall.

Where his father lay on the ground, an arrow stuck in his side.

"Dad!" Hiccup ran to him, inspecting the wound carefully. "Dad…"

A powerful hand closed gently over his own. "Son." Stoick gave a small smile and removed Hiccup's mask. "S'alright."

Hiccup clasped the hand to his chest. "I'm so sorry."

Stoick gave a small chuckle, a look of pain briefly crossing his features. "My fault." He admitted. "I attacked the Hunters first, this is their counter." He closed his eyes. "I let my pride get in the way."

Hiccup hung his head, tears forming in his eyes. "Still…"

Stoick, using most of his remaining strength, pulled himself up to lean against the Hall pillar, hefting a crossbow into his lap. "Go, Lad." He coughed. "Berk needs you to defend it." He handed Hiccup his mask. "Do what you have to, Son."

Steely resolved filled Hiccup's eyes and he nodded, rising and putting on his mask in one motion. With a final look at his father, who waved him off, he mounted Toothless, taking to the skies.

A Nadder blast to one of the Hunter ships caused a slight smile to form at Hiccup's mouth, and he nodded. The Riders were here.

* * *

"Stoick!" Leaping off Stormfly, Astrid rushed over to him and knelt down, hands gently grasping at the arrow. "Stay with me!"

Stoick gave a small chuckle and patted her hand. "It's too late for me, Lass." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Would you stay?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Astrid nodded, leaning back. No one deserved to die alone.

"I need you to watch over my son."

Stoick's words caused Astrid's head to tilt. "What?"

The Chief smiled slightly. "The boy's lost too much in eighteen years. His mother and now me. He can't lose you too."

Astrid sighed. "Thing is, he keeps pushing me away. I-I don't know if I can do this any longer." She admitted.

To her great surprise, Stoick chuckled. "When he was a child, Hiccup used to get horrible nightmares." He winced in pain. "I think he was terrified of losing me like he did Val. Every night, he would awake and scream for me, for help. And I would come and sit with him until he fell back asleep." He gave a sad smile. "After Hiccup's fifth birthday, I decided enough was enough. Hiccup was old enough to deal with the nightmares on his own." He sighed. "And one night, he got the nightmares, yelled for me, and I didn't come." Stoick looked down. "He never asked for anything from me again. He walled himself off from me." He looked at Astrid. "Don't give up on him. He's proud, Lass. If you walk away, you will lose him forever."

Astrid slowly nodded. "I won't." She promised. "That's not the type of friend I want to be anyway."

Stoick gave a contented smile. "Then I can go to Valhalla a happy man."

* * *

Hiccup landed on the last Hunter ship and grabbed a knife, throwing it into the shoulder of the Captain. "Where is Viggo?"

The Hunter spat in his face. "Go to Hel!"

Hiccup smirked and twisted the knife, forcing the man to his knees. "I'm not in a particularly good mood tonight." He whispered. "Someone close to me died today, and if you don't want to join them, you will tell me what you know."

The Hunter winced in pain. "He's up North! Meeting with his allies!"

Hiccup paused for a second, scowling. He could leave now and try to track Viggo, or stay and defend Berk. If he was to go after Viggo, this was probably his best chance. He had a very good window to track the Hunter, and North was covered in ice. There wasn't a whole lot of places Viggo could be. This might be his best shot.

But he had promised Stoick he would defend Berk.

Hiccup ripped the knife out and hit the Hunter over the head with it, knocking him out. Then he turned and climbed on Toothless "Come on, Bud. Let's use the old 'never shows himself' trick."

* * *

Daylight brought peace to Berk, with Vikings already beginning to rebuild. Three hundred years of dragon damage, one raid wasn't that bad. There were only two problems.

The first was the simplest in Astrid's mind. Stoick the Vast had been killed last night. They had a temporary leader in Gobber-not the most pleasant thought-seeing as Hiccup was still missing. Without a Haddock on the throne, Berk would suffer in the long run, but for now it should be okay.

The second problem was more pressing. Astrid had been constantly scanning during the night, and never once did she or any of the Riders run into Hiccup. Which made no sense. Berk was Hiccup's home. There was no way he wouldn't come back to defend it.

After doing what they could, Astrid gathered the Riders. "Let's head back to the Edge. We can search for Viggo from there." She sighed and stared at the ocean. "Let's hope we find him before Hiccup does."

* * *

Hiccup closed his eyes as he overlooked Berk. His vantage point on top of a neighbouring sea stack granted him an unparalleled view of the destruction Viggo had sown on the village. Fortunately, the repairs were quickly underway.

Viggo was long gone. Hiccup had to come to terms with that. His best chance to stop the war, and he had sacrificed it to save the people of Berk. Because-

_The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. _

Hiccup shook his head. "Yeah, that really isn't helping, Dad." He sighed and stood. He didn't have time to think about Stoick's passing. Didn't have time to watch as the grieving villagers gathered the body of their former Chief for a Viking funeral. He had no time to grieve. That would come later.

Now he had work to do. Hiccup climbed on Toothless and took off, turning the Night Fury in a different direction than the Sanctuary. There was someone he had to talk to.

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). Hiccup sent the T-Mail the Riders got at the end of the previous chapter. It's important to his arc that he reach out to the Riders. **

**II). Stoick had to die. I'm sorry, but there was no other way. The only other character that would elicit the proper emotional response from Hiccup was Astrid, and I wasn't going to kill her. On the flip side, Hiccup never had time to forgive Stoick or apologise. Which is something that will come up later on...**

**III). You guys have been clambouring for this next chapter for a long time, so be on the lookout for Chapter 12!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	12. Help

**Thanks to CHSHiccstrid and** **Silvolde for the feedback!**

**So, I have good news and bad news. Good news; I have up to Chapter 15 written. Bad news; I've completly thrown out my outline now. This story has grown beyond what I ever imagined, so I'm ending Defender after Chapter 15, taking a break for school, and then coming out with Avenger, the sequel. Which should give you some idea about what the plot will be about. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Astrid heard the soft whisper of something moving in her window and sat up, knives already in her hands. She quietly snuck to where the intruder would have come from, but stopped cold at the sight before her.

Hiccup turned around after closing the window and sighed. "Hi, Astrid."

Astrid, after staring for a few seconds, dumbfounded at the sight before her, huffed and returned the knives to her belt. "Make sure to lock it."

Watching her walk away, Hiccup gave a slight nod as he read the mood in the room and removed his mask. "I've been staying in a place your dragon knows." He sat down on a chair. "There's a reason I stayed away, Astrid."

Astrid folded her arms. "If you say it was to protect me, I'm seriously going to throw up."

"I can't protect you. Not from Viggo." Hiccup sighed. "I can't even protect myself."

Astrid produced a flask of ale. "Sure you don't want something to drink?"

Hiccup resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Astrid didn't drink, they both knew that. She wanted to find out if _he _had started. "If you want to yell at me, go ahead."

Astrid shook her head. "Why bother? It's not like it's going to change anything." After a silence, she scoffed. "You know what? You came to Fishlegs because you needed something from him. You took the Dragon Eye research." She sighed. "You need something from me?" She watched as Hiccup pursed his lips and sighed. "Of course. Why should I expect anything different."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "You know why."

"I'm sorry." The words left Astrid's mouth before she was even aware of it. "Is that what you want to hear? That I regret lying to you? Because I _do._" She shook her head. "I regret every _second_ of that lie. If I could take it back, I would."

After a while, Hiccup spoke. "Viggo's up north. Probably gathering troops to attack us. After the raid on Berk, he's going to be more bold than ever." He sighed. "So, yeah, you're right, I came to you because I need something. Your help." Hiccup stood. "What do you say, want to help me?"

Astrid scowled. "No." She turned back to her bed. "Lock the window on your way out."

* * *

"I mean, the _nerve _of him." Astrid scoffed. "To stay away after all this time, miss a Snoggletog _and _his birthday, knowing how I would feel without him, and then just show up and expect my help?" She shook her head. "I can't believe Hiccup would even ask."

Heather frowned. "I still think you should help him."

Astrid turned to her, scowl firm on her face. "Oh, come on."

Heather raised her hands. "Hear me out. Has Hiccup been a horrible friend lately? Yes. But, on the inside, I think it's hurting him as much as it's hurting us."

Astrid frowned. "How?"

Heather gave a small smile. "Because he could have gone to any warrior, Astrid. But he came to you. Maybe Hiccup's finally coming to his senses."

Astrid was silent for a minute. "He said he's staying in a place Stormfly knows." She headed for the door. "Tell the Riders I'll be gone for a little while."

* * *

"So when are you returning to the Edge?"

Hiccup turned and faced Valhallarama. "I'm not? I thought I made that clear by now."

She chuckled. "You've been there twice in the past week. The only times you leave here is to beat on criminals or to go to the Edge." Her smile died a little. "When are you going to forgive your friends?"

Hiccup turned to an opening in the cave that served as light, staring at the water far below. "They hurt me. I-"

"And what are you doing?" Valhallarama grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her. "You're torturing them by withholding yourself. Maybe it made sense when they thought you were dead. Remember you as you were. But now? With them fully knowing you're alive? It's every bit as cruel as Astrid keeping your injuries a secret. Even more cruel, since she had your best intentions in mind."

Hiccup gave a long sigh. "Stop being right, it's hard to argue with you." He nodded and whistled for Toothless. "I'll think about it."

After a few hours, the serenity of the Sanctuary was broken by dragons squawking, the warning of an intruder. A few more minutes passed, and a blonde girl was led to the main cave room, posture indicating wariness.

Valhallarama stood and smiled. "Astrid Hofferson."

The girl-Astrid-drew back, startled. "Do I know you?"

Valhallarama shook her head. "No. But I know you. He talks much of you."

Astrid's eyes grew wide. "Hiccup." She breathed. "How-How is he?"

"He mourns for what he thinks he's lost." Valhallarama walked to the same cave opening Hiccup had stood at a few hours before and looked out. "He's stubborn, unable to see past the hurt that was dealt him."

Behind her, Astrid sat down in a chair. "He came to see me two nights ago." She revealed. "To ask for my help."

Valhallarama turned back to her with a smile. "Then give it to him conditionally." Her smile grew. "Tell him you will help, but only if he returns to the Edge with you."

Astrid frowned. "You…want him to leave?"

"On the contrary." Valhallarama sat down across from her. "But I see the difference in who he is and who he was. His friends make him stronger, and it will take all of you to defeat Viggo Grimborn."

Slowly, Astrid nodded and slouched a bit in her seat. "Then I guess we wait."

* * *

It was nearing midnight as Hiccup returned, grateful for the time to think. It had cleared some things up.

Entering the Sanctuary, Hiccup stopped as he heard voices coming from the main cave. Valhallarama and a very familiar one. Sighing, he entered and removed his mask. "Astrid."

The girl stood and looked at him, confidence wavering. "I-uh-I'm going to help you. But you have to do something for me."

Hiccup glanced at Valhallarama. "Return to the Edge." He nodded. "Sure. I'll do it."

Astrid's eyes widened. "You will?" A slow smile was forming on her face. "Really?"

Hiccup sent her a tight smile. "I can't beat him alone. It's going to take all of us to defeat him."

* * *

Snotlout rolled out of bed and groaned. He had gotten two hours of sleep the previous night, and it was because of his stupid dragon and stupid Hiccup. Hookfang had wanted to go flying right as the sun set, which was optimal Snotlout sleep hours.

And then there was the matter of Hiccup.

Hiccup being gone also had the unforeseen consequence of maturing Snotlout a _little bit. _Just enough to see the pain Astrid went through on a daily basis. Walking into the Clubhouse daily, expecting to see Hiccup even after all these months, yet there still being nothing broke a little piece off the de facto leader of the Dragon Riders every day.

And then _Hiccup_, stupid stupid _Hiccup_, had the nerve to show up to Astrid's hut, ask her for help, and then _vanish. _As if he didn't see the amount of pain Astrid had.

As if he didn't care.

With these thoughts in his head, Snotlout, still ticked, walked into the Clubhouse, stopping cold as his eyes trained on the last person he thought he would ever see again.

Hiccup turned from the Maces and Talons board and nodded. "Snotlout."

Anger rekindled, Snotlout strode forward, jamming a finger into Hiccup's chest. "Why are you here! After what you did to As-"

Hiccup grabbed Snotlout's finger, twisted it away from him, and pushed the larger boy back. "I didn't come here to be yelled at for my actions. I came here because-"

"I asked him to come back." Astrid spoke from behind Snotlout. "We need him."

Calming, Hiccup nodded and looked at a still angry Snotlout. "Gather the other Riders. We need to talk."

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). I've worked real hard on having Hiccup abandon his friends, but never enough to leave them behind. Hiccup basically talks himself out of his decision to leave the Riders behind every other second, but he can't. Thus he goes back to see Astrid, see Fishlegs, and ultimately return to the Edge. Valhallarama's council probably helps too. **

**II). Writing Snotlout angry is shockingly enjoyable. Mainly because he's usually potrayed in a whiny light. But it's fun to see him angry.**

**III). So, right, Avenger. I had the idea for a arc that revolved around Hiccup and Viggo, but it's far too big for this story, where so much has happened already. And we're already moving away from the purpose of the Defender title, where Astrid is trying to _defend _Hiccup. So, something has to give. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Deliverer

**Thanks to CHSHiccstrid, Guest, DANIELA123 and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**Guest: I honestly can't tell if you're critiquing me for having Hiccup and Astrid work together, or if it's just a comment on something Astrid isn't. I didn't write the Hiccup/Astrid interactions with the intention of her coming off as a 'doormat'. In reality, she holds all the cards. She (using advice from Valhallarama) basically manipulated Hiccup into returning to the Edge, a goal that will prove to be beneficial to Hiccup. She's not letting Hiccup do anything to her. As for your 'Hiccup's an abuser' comment, I don't see that pattern. And I reread my entire story. An abuser is someone who feeds off of pain. If Hiccup were like that, he wouldn't have left when Astrid told him to. He would have comtinued to pressure her. He wouldn't have spent the later half of this story in a cave, pretending he was dead. And for all of that, Astrid has words to say.**

**CHSHiccstrid: That was my thought too. The entire plot of Defender revolves around Astrid 'defending' Hiccup by keeping the full breadth of his injuries from him. Everything that follows is the aftermath. Rather than change the title, because I'm kinda attached to the name Defender as a story title, I opted to create a sequel using dangling plot threads. **

**Question for You Guys: HTTYD 2 painted Drago as the opposite of Hiccup. Then Race to the Edge came out and introduced Viggo, who truly is the opposite of Hiccup. My question is; who's the greater villain? Take away the five seasons of character building for Viggo and just look at who they were in their first moments. We have Viggo talking about Maces and Talons, and Drago threatening Astrid and Berk. Who's scarier? **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Once Snotlout was gone, Hiccup gave a small smile to Astrid. "Thanks."

She shrugged, brushing past him. "I don't know why you bothered. You've made it pretty clear this is only temporary."

Closing his eyes, Hiccup dropped the facadè for a brief moment. "Astrid-"

"HICCUP!"

Barraged by the Twins and Fishlegs, Hiccup sighed and readjusted, focusing on the fire pit. It was going to be a long meeting.

The other Riders had been, predictably, excited to have Hiccup back, and he had struggled to maintain his indifferent attitude. The Riders were a means to an end, and that was all they could be. Nothing more; nothing less.

After all the welcome backs, eventually the Clubhouse was empty, and Hiccup stared at the Maces and Talons board. Why had Viggo waited for Johann to arrive at Outcast Island to make his escape? He clearly had the means to leave before that time. "This doesn't make any sense."

"_Of course it does_." Hiccup stiffened at the sound of Viggo's voice behind him. "_Odin is angry with you_."

Hiccup frowned, still scanning the board. He knew this Viggo wasn't real; the other Riders would have swooped in long ago. But still…. "What are you talking about?"

"_You don't think Odin knows you tried to kill yourself_?"

Hiccup swallowed. "No. That has nothing to do with this."

Viggo continued. "_Odin restores your hearing just after you heard of my release. Just after you learned that, in the long run, _I_ won. You lost. Does that sound _fair_ to you_?"

Hiccup breathing became shaky. "No. It sounds like…Hel." He turned his head as Astrid entered the Clubhouse.

_"You'll never be able to keep Astrid safe_." Viggo seemed smug. "_In the end, you'll lose her too._"

Hiccup shook his head. "Stop it."

"Hiccup?"

"_Like Stoick._"

"I said _stop_."

Astrid stopped beside him, a look of confusion on her face. "Hiccup?"

He could sense Viggo's smirk. _"He died because of you, Hiccup_."

Hiccup shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Sorry, Astrid."

Astrid just stared at him. "What just happened?"

Hiccup turned back to the board. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Astrid frowned. "Don't worry about it?" She parroted. "Really? Who were you talking to?"

"Myself." Hiccup studied the board, eyes narrowing. "Have we checked up on any of our allies lately?"

Astrid very nearly rolled her eyes at the _obvious _conversation changer, but decided better of it. "Mala reported that they haven't seen any sign of Viggo."

Hiccup nodded, walking to the exit. "Good. T-Mail the Outcasts, check up on Johann."

Astrid followed him as they exited the Clubhouse. "What are you going to do?"

Hiccup grabbed Inferno and his shield. "Check up on the Sanctuary." He mounted Toothless and turned to Astrid. "And, Astrid, send a Terror Mail to the Outcasts and check up on Johann." After a moment of silence, he frowned. "I'm repeating myself again, aren't I?"

Astrid nodded slowly. "Hiccup, I-"

He shook his head and put his helmet on. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"So, how are your friends?"

Hiccup shook his head as he dismounted Toothless. "I'm only there to find Viggo."

Valhallarama shook her head. "Your friends make you stronger. You're the one who thinks they make you weak, and you're wrong."

Hiccup sat on his bed and sighed. "Viggo will use them to get to me. This life doesn't work with Astrids."

Valhallarama smiled. "Funny how you singled her out."

Hiccup ignored her. "If I truly loved her, I'd cut her loose. Instead she gets pulled back into my life."

"Nice to hear you use the L-word."

Hiccup levelled his glare at her. "You done?"

Vahallarama shook her head. "Not until you stop being so stubborn. You can't beat Viggo alone; you know that. With your friends by your side, being united as one, you can _win!_"

Hiccup sighed. "It's not that easy."

* * *

Krogan regarded the man before him. "And you can complete this task?"

The masked man nodded. "He'll be no problem, Mr Krogan. I know how Hiccup Haddock thinks, how he acts."

Krogan stared at him a moment longer. "Then it's a deal." He stuck out his hand. "Your payment will be given upon delivery of the body."

The mask nodded and took the hand. "Dead or alive?"

"Dead."

Having received his instructions, the Bounty Hunter left the tent, climbing on his Monstrous Nightmare. "Let's go, Killer."

Krogan watched the duo leave and smiled coldly, turning to see Viggo watching. "You don't approve?"

"Hardly seems sporting."

Krogan walked towards Viggo. "I seem to recall you hiring me to capture Hiccup Haddock not long ago."

Viggo shrugged. "An unfortunate necessity. Hiccup needed to realise how high the stakes are."

Krogan frowned. "So everything you did was to _teach _the boy how to beat you?"

Viggo clasped his hands behind his back. "Sometimes the greatest adversaries are the ones you train." He turned back to his tent. "I would think your employer to be particularly interested in Hiccup's process."

Krogan laughed. "Drago? He does not care for the sport of outsmarting your foes."

Viggo chuckled. "And it seems you have picked up on that particular weakness." He turned back as Hunters surrounded Krogan, crossbows drawn. "Oh, come now. Don't tell me you weren't planning on killing me!"

Krogan drew a sword. "Then perhaps now is the best opportunity." He lunged, but an arrow to the heart stopped him cold. With one final glare at Viggo, Krogan dropped to the ground, dead.

"Tarfel." Viggo summoned one of his lieutenants. "Contact Drago. Inform him of Krogan's demise at the hand of Hiccup Haddock and that I will deliver him a King of Dragons." He looked at the night sky and smiled. "And prepare our facility on Dragon Island."

* * *

"Where are you going now?"

Hiccup looked up from adjusting Toothless's saddle and nodded at Valhallarama. "Outcast Island. There might be something there that will help me find Viggo."

"Isn't that something you should talk about with your friends?" Valhallarama sighed at Hiccup's stubborn face. "Right. You 'have no friends'."

Hiccup was silent for a minute. "You know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe…Maybe I can involve them." He climbed on Toothless. "Let's go, Bud. Dragon's Edge."

The trip didn't take long, Toothless pushed himself to his limits. The longer Hiccup was away from his mate, the worse he seemed to become. In a matter of hours, they arrived on the Edge, with Astrid waiting at the landing pad. "You came back."

Hiccup nodded and took off his helmet. "I need to meet with the others." He entered the Clubhouse with Astrid on his heels, giving a small smile to Heather. "Hey."

Heather smiled back. "Glad you're here." She admitted. "We need you, Hiccup."

Hiccup sighed. "I'm not back forever. Just until we capture Viggo."

"Seriously?" Hiccup could tell Astrid was angry behind him. "Why?"

Hiccup tilted his head to regard her. "You know why. The past-"

"Isn't etched in stone!"

Hiccup sighed. "I agree, but sometimes-" he stopped, frowning. Then he looked at Heather, confusion in his eyes.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup shook his head, eyes still darting around in confusion. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot what I was saying."

Heather gave a quavering sigh and laid a hand on his forearm. "Hiccup, I am so sorry you're going through this."

Hiccup sat down and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't be." He sighed. "This is my problem." Abruptly, he stood. "I'll…be back later."

Astrid watched him and Toothless take off, worry growing in her heart. "He can't move past it." She whispered.

"Maybe not right now." Heather's hand fell on her shoulder. "But he's still fighting with his memory. If that goes away, I think Hiccup will come back."

"I highly doubt that."

Both Astrid and Heather whirled at the unfamiliar voice, axes already in hand. The masked figure raised a gloved hand and waved. "Hi."

Astrid took in the strangers armour, which was almost all metal and covered in spikes. Blue stripes ran up his forearms, almost drawing attention away from the knife on each arm. A long sword, similar to Mala's, was strapped to his back, and in his hands was a shorter sword. "Who are you?"

The man shrugged. "I'm just a guy looking for Hiccup Haddock." His eyes glanced around the Clubhouse. "I gather he's not here."

Heather took a step forward. "Why do you want him?"

The man took off his helmet, revealing blond hair and brown eyes, and smirked. "He's in danger, and needs to be warned."

Hours later, the sun was starting to come up, and Hiccup slid quietly into the Clubhouse, hoping there would be leftovers from dinner. Slowly, he closed the door, turning around to see Astrid with her axe out, pointing it at a masked man. "Astrid?"

She turned her head, motioning him forward. "There's someone here to see you."

There was a hint of warning in her voice, so Hiccup slowly walked forward, hand on Inferno. "Who are you?"

The stranger looked up at him. "Hey, Hiccup."

Hiccup took a stumbling step backwards, Inferno forgotten. "Thuggory?"

Thuggory, Heir to the former Tribe of Meathead, took off his helmet, nodding. "Been a while."

Hiccup smiled. "It has. How's your father?"

Thuggory grinned. "Same. Still wants to kill everyone in the Archipelago."

Astrid was shocked as Hiccup chuckled. _Chuckled. _"Madguts the Murderous." She watched as Hiccup's eyes unfocused for a second, then they trained on her, finally returning to Thuggory after a moment. "It's good to see you, Thug." His hand returned to Inferno. "But why are you here?"

Thuggory pursed his lips. "Krogan's sending bounty hunters after you. They have orders to kill you."

Astrid felt her grip on her axe tighten. "How do you know this?"

Thuggory regarded her. "I was hired by Krogan to hunt Hiccup down."

Hiccup quickly put the pieces together. "Astrid, stand down."

Astrid turned to him, aghast. "But, Hiccup-"

He shook his head. "Thuggory isn't a threat. I need to talk to him."

After a moment, Astrid relented, returning her axe to her back and stepping back. Smiling at her, Hiccup stared at Thuggory. "Where's Krogan?"

Thuggory handed him a map. "I also managed to copy Hunter Bases in the nearby area."

Hiccup scanned the map, lips tilting in a smile. "I know where Viggo's Base is."

* * *

**As for my question, I honestly think Viggo is the more terrifiying villain. Count Maces and Talons part one and two as one episode, and we see Viggo create a plan, dupe Hiccup, capture Heather, successfully outsmart Hiccup and capture the Dragon Eye. Making him the first villain ever to actually fully defeat Hiccup. The Dragon Eye remains in Viggo's hands from the end of S2 to the end of S4. **

**Contrast that with Drago. In HTYYD 2, Drago creates a plan, dupes Hiccup, kills Stoick, and is subsquently defeated by Hiccup in their second battle, never seen again. I get it, it's a movie, they can't do everything they did with Viggo. But this warlord lost to a kid who tried to change his mind until the very end. Whereas Viggo, under those same conditions, defeated Hiccup time and time again. **

**Anyway:**

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). Before I get yelled at, you didn't really think that because Hiccup was back at the Edge that everything was back to normal, right? Sure, Hiccup is slowly breaking that wall he built, but we have a ways to go. **

**II). So, Thuggory has a backstory, he's out to get Viggo too. I needed someone to break the standoff between Hiccup and the Riders, and in the books Thuggory is Hiccup's greatest supporter, so he felt like a natural fit. Plus, he's not in the movies or TV shows, so there's no chance really of writing him out of canon. His introduction also allows me to insert some other book only characters. Valhallarama is another, but she's a bit more complicated. **

**III). All that being said, Thuggory isn't the only assassin Krogan dispatched to find Hiccup. Now, with his death, Viggo would have cancelled the hit on the majority of them, but some may still be active. We'll see...**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	14. Call

**Thanks to tahliesque, CHSHiccstrid, DANIELA123 and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**tahliesque: I'm my own editor, so typos sometimes happen. Unfortunate. The 'there should always be a Hiccup and Astrid' was quoted from Blindsided, S4 Episode something of RTTE. And Thuggory is a very interesting character. :)**

**I'm saddened no-one commented on the fact that Hiccup talked to a phantom Viggo. I mean, come on. I tried really hard to make that meaningful. **

**I want to finish this story before school starts, so you'll see the final chapter and epilogue before Tuesday. Probably chapter 15 tomorrow or Sunday, and the epilogue Monday. I have a basic outline for Avenger, but I threw my outline for Defender away, so we'll see what becomes of it. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"What's your plan?"

Hiccup sighed. "I'm going in alone. I'm going to take Viggo out and come back before the sunrise."

Thuggory frowned. "You're sure that's wise? Last time you went up against the Hunters alone, Johann nearly killed you."

Hiccup grabbed his mask. "Viggo isn't Johann. Viggo plans, and if you play his game long enough, you can spring the trap on him." He glanced at Astrid's hut. "But I can't risk them. If this goes wrong, there will be one casualty."

"_That's _your method of thinking?" Thuggory shook his head and took Hiccup's mask from him. "That Submarriper really did something to you." He took a step closer to the door. "Maybe we should involve Astrid, get her to stop your lunatic plans."

Hiccup tore his mask free from Thuggory's grip and held it tight. "You're going to get them killed."

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Thuggory threw his hands up in frustration. "I get it, you're listening to Valhallarama. Following her advice. But she also said that you should involve your friends!" Seeing Hiccup stare at him, he chuckled. "Heather filled me in on what you've been doing." Thuggory shook his head. "You muttonhead. Thinking your friends don't care."

"I know they care, that's the problem." Hiccup looked out the window as the sun set. "They care too much."

From behind him, he could hear Thuggory scoff. "You should be thanking Odin for them. After everything you've done to them, they're still right here waiting. But eventually that'll run out." He opened the door. "Think about that as you're committing your suicide plan, Hiccup. Because they might not be here if you make it back."

Hiccup climbed on Toothless and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Most of them. The one remained-What if the Riders decided they had enough and left?

As the dragon took off, Hiccup removed his mask, storing it in his saddlebag. He ran a hand over his face and looked up, thinking. Could his friends forgive him for the past few months of torture he had put them through? Should they?

Did he even deserve forgiveness?

* * *

Astrid crept into the Clubhouse, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she watched Thuggory cook something over the fire, humming softly. From this angle, with all his weapons and armour off, he didn't look threatening. Tall with blond hair, he looked similar to Hiccup.

She wasn't sure what side of this war he was on, but one could never be too careful. Even if he had the drop on them last night and did nothing, he was an unknown.

Even if he did make Hiccup smile.

Thuggory tilted his head. "Good morning, Astrid." He turned with a smile, bearing a bowl of soup. "Care for something to eat?" He sat down at the table and laid the soup down, sliding it over to the spot across from him. "Hiccup's gone, I don't really think he slept well."

Slowly, Astrid advanced, carefully sitting down next to him. To her surprise, he laughed. "From everything Hiccup's told me about you, I'm really not surprised you're this hostile."

Astrid frowned, cautiously inspecting the soup. "You've talked to Hiccup before?"

Thuggory nodded, smiling. "He was bullied as a kid, but Dagur would never attack him if I was around." His smile grew. "And he would always talk about this blonde Valkyrie back home, the most beautiful girl on the island." He chuckled. "And I doubt he was talking about Ruffnut."

Warily, Astrid tested the soup, only after Thuggory had grabbed his own and eaten a mouthful. Humming at the taste, which seemed to be on par with Heathers, she looked up. "So how long have you been friends with Hiccup?"

Thuggory leaned back. "Since we were six, I think. Even if we would only see each other once a year, and occasionally when the Hooligans would come for peace treaties, we were the best of friends. I know all about you all. How Hiccup killed the Red Death, lost his leg, almost became betrothed," he shot Astrid a sly look, one that hardened a moment later. "How he was relentlessly bullied."

Astrid looked down. "He didn't have the best childhood." She sighed. "And part of that was my fault. I could have been a better friend."

"Then why weren't you?" The tone wasn't accusatory, just curious.

Astrid closed her eyes. "I nearly was." She had a soft smile on her face. "I had a crush on him when I was younger. Hidden. Far more hidden than his crush on me, but I never acted on it. Using tricks he learned from Toothless, Hiccup managed to beat me in Dragon Training, and I grew jealous."

"Yet you're together now?"

Astrid was quiet for a long moment. "Almost." She admitted. "We were _so close_, but Viggo got in the way."

"Grimborn? How did he get between you?"

Astrid snorted mockingly. "He trapped Hiccup underwater, gave him memory loss." She looked up to see Thuggory's shocked face. "And I kept it from him for a year."

Thuggory nodded in understanding. "So he was furious when he found out." He blew out air. "That makes a lot more sense. Why he's so distant from you guys."

Astrid ran a hand through her hair, unsure why she was sharing all this with a total stranger. She really should stop.

"I don't know what to do." Or she could keep going because she was an idiot and stressing about Hiccup was tiring. "I don't know how to help him."

Thuggory stood and collected his and Astrid's bowls, washing them in the trough of water the Riders kept for that purpose (and for Snotlout on Hookfang's bad days) and nodded. "Look, as much as I want to help Hiccup, Viggo takes priority." He returned to the table, looking serious. "I came here to ask Hiccup for his help. Seeing as he's indisposed, I'm going to ask you. You and I want the same thing; to end Viggo Grimborn. Make him pay for everything he's done. To Berk, to Meathead, and to Hiccup."

Astrid thought for a long moment. "You said Krogan hired you to kill Hiccup. How do I know we can trust you?"

"You don't." Thuggory pulled a dagger out of his tunic and regarded it for a long moment, eventually handing it to Astrid. "Hiccup made me this blade years ago. It's the weapon I'm best at."

Astrid thought to her own dagger. "Yeah." She tested Thuggory's blade. Same make as her own. Not as many symbols on the handle-a touch she was willing to beat Hiccup never thought she would find, as they basically denoted his love for her-but very similar. "What does this prove?"

Thuggory smiled and stood, turning away to face the fire, his back facing her. Instantly, Astrid understood. He was willing to put his life in the hands of someone who clearly didn't trust him.

After a moment, Astrid stood as well, setting the knife on the table. "You're not a Dragon Rider." She declared, watching him turn around. "That decision is ultimately Hiccup's. But," She held out her hand. "I'm willing to work with you."

Thuggory shook her hand. "I look forward to earning your trust."

At that moment, Heather walked in, nodding at the duo. "Hey, Astrid. Thuggory."

Thuggory grinned. "Heather. Looks like you got very little sleep."

Heather grabbed a bowl of soup and joined them at the table. "Blame my brother." Astrid didn't miss the slight look of pain that crossed over Heather's face as she described Hiccup in the same light she would Dagur. She knew her friend missed her actual brother, and the rift Hiccup had created between them wasn't helping.

Clearly, Thuggory noticed too, and he laid his hand on Heather's arm. "Heather, I am so sorry about Dagur. I-" Astrid was shocked to see real tears spring to his eyes. "He was a good one. Underneath all that craziness, he had remarkable potential."

Heather, though tears were falling now, smiled. "He's alive, Thug. After Hiccup left us, Dagur went back to Berserker Island to try to find him. With Hiccup gone so much, he figured finding out where our brother stayed was more important."

Thuggory smiled. "Then I'll have to pay him a visit when this is all over."

Astrid frowned. "You two know each other?"

Heather turned to her, wiping tears on her sleeve. "Yeah. Before I fell overboard and lost my family on Berserker Island, Dad used to take me to Chief Meetings. I only remember one, but Thuggory was there."

Thuggory nodded. "Your father was heartbroken after you were lost. We all looked for you."

Heather smiled at him, a genuine smile. "Thank you, Thuggory."

Two hours later, the Riders were assembled in the Clubhouse, and Astrid sighed. "Listen up. We know where Viggo's bases are, we're going to start systematically destroying them, continuing until we find Viggo himself."

Fishlegs hesitantly raised a hand. "Um, where's Hiccup?"

Thuggory stepped up. "He went to clear his head." He nodded to the Riders he hadn't met yet. "I've sent him a Terror Mail detailing the operation. He'll be here when he can."

The other Riders sympathetically nodded their heads, and Thuggory stepped back, winking at Astrid. She cleared her throat. "This is Thuggory. He was a friend of Hiccup years ago who came by to help. He's going to get us inside the base."

A few hours later, as the sun set, Astrid looked at Thuggory, who nodded. "It's time."

She sighed and took a deep breath, putting all her issues with Hiccup to the side. It was time to focus.

* * *

"You're bleeding."

Hiccup tore off his armour, ignoring the way the dragon scales scratched against his cuts. He had gone up against a Viggo's Base and lost. An assassin was waiting for him. He pulled at an arrow lodged in his shoulder. "You're not listening! Krogan didn't just find some random Hunter to take me out. He found someone as fast and skilled as I've ever seen. If the Riders attack that Base, they'll be killed!"

"Hiccup-"

He turned to her. "I listened to you, and they're going to die." He threw his helmet against the wall. "I never should have involved them. This is all my fault."

Valhallarama was quiet for a moment. "No, this is my fault. I talked you in to involving them." She looked down. "I'm used to dealing with my problems alone, talking to myself. And I find that, if I talk long enough, I usually find my answers too. But what you're dealing with is so far outside my expertise that I…" She sighed. "All I can hope to do is to keep your wounds healing. And I'll try to be quieter about giving advice."

Hiccup calmed. "Can I get that in writing?" He had a small smile on as Valhallarama came closer with a Buffalord tooth stitch. "I know you were just trying to help." He winced as she began to stitch his shoulder. "This is all down to Viggo anyway." He sighed. "And I had a chance. A chance to find him, and I failed."

Valhallarama shook her head. "You didn't fail. You kept your word to Stoick."

"Yeah." Hiccup turned away. "And how many people will die because of it?"

"What are you going to do?"

Hiccup smiled grimly as he slid his mask on. "I'm going to rescue the Riders." He grabbed Sharpshot and climbed on Toothless. "Then I end it."

Valhallarama had a smile on. "So, you're going to rescue your friends?"

Hiccup stared at her for a long time before slowly nodding. "Yes." A weight seemed to roll off his shoulders, and he grinned. A real, genuine grin. "I'm going to rescue my friends."

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). I think the conversation between Astrid and Thuggory is one of my favourites. Genuinely pleased with how that one turned out.**

**II). We were never (to the best of my knowledge, and I'm the Fishlegs of HTTYD lore) told the reason Heather was separated from Oswald and Dagur. I mean, it's _probably _Dagur's fault, but we don't know for certain. So, I made up the reason of she fell overboard. **

**III). Let's be honest, the plotline of Hiccup is angry at his friends and avoids them for xxx gets old at some point, and eventually they have to reconcile. This was inevitable. That doesn't mean everything is back to normal, that would be unrealistic. Which is why I'm so excited for Chapter 15. **

**Next Chapter is the showdown!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	15. Defender

**Thanks to DANIELA123, tahliesque and Silvolde for the feedback!**

**Final chapter! Epilogue will be posted on Monday!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Astrid climbed up the sheer rock wall, Thuggory in tow. They had gotten Hiccup's Terror Mail about the Dragon Island base being a trap, but Astrid was determined to end this. To get to Viggo before Hiccup could. Because Hiccup would kill Viggo. And that act would eventually kill Hiccup.

Thuggory was going with her, while Fishlegs, Snotlout and Heather snuck in from the rear. They would meet in the middle and capture Viggo, returning him to Outcast Prison. And talk Hiccup down when he arrived.

Astrid was slowly putting more trust in Thuggory. An assassin had ambushed them before they even landed, but Thuggory had taken him out with a single arrow. It was impressive.

"Astrid." Thuggory helped her up the last ledge and sighed. "I have a better plan, but you have to trust me."

Astrid frowned. "What are you talking about?" Before she could blink, Thuggory's sword was against her throat, and he was moving her towards the centre of the base.

Where Viggo awaited.

Astrid nearly swore when she figured everything out. "You planned this!"

Thuggory dragged her further. "I needed to get you to Viggo of your own accord." He entered the centre chamber and flipped his mask down. "Hiccup will come for you, and when he does, he's going to die."

"Quite right." Viggo walked over to Astrid and grabbed her axe. "While the idea of killing Hiccup isn't one I'm fond of, he will eventually kill me, so he must be taken out."

Astrid shook her head in disgust. "You're a monster."

Viggo shrugged. "Precautions are a necessity. You are the only thing that will keep Hiccup from killing me."

* * *

Hiccup leapt off Toothless, free-falling towards the compound. He had seen the other Riders fly towards the base, and he hadn't a lot of time. Viggo would be merciless.

Using DragonFly II to lightly land on the roof, he crouched, grabbing Inferno and waiting. Viggo would be on guard for the next several hours at most, but Hiccup could wait.

As the sun set, Hiccup snuck inside, using his black Night Fury armour to blend in to the shadows and avoid passing guards. No one but Viggo had to die tonight.

Eventually making his way to the centre of the base, Hiccup glanced inside, seeing Thuggory standing beside a captive Astrid, Viggo mockingly standing over them. In a moment, Hiccup opened the door, slowly advancing. "It's over, Viggo!"

Viggo turned and smiled at him. "Ah, Hiccup. Welcome! I trust your flight over here was adequate?"

Hiccup brandished Inferno. "Let Astrid go." He walked towards them. "You don't need her, you have me. Just let her go."

Viggo nodded. "So long as you hand your weapon over to Astrid. Then I will release her."

After a long moment, Hiccup deactivated Inferno, handing it over to Astrid, who Viggo had sent walking towards him. "Go find the others." He gave her a genuine smile. "Go."

Once she was gone, Viggo glanced at Thuggory. "Your payment is with my men."

Thuggory nodded and left, leaving Hiccup and Viggo alone. "Now, seeing as we are at an impasse, you must realise you won't leave alive."

Hiccup chuckled and slowly circled Viggo, heading to the place Thuggory stood mere moments before. "You're overconfident."

Viggo shrugged. "Perhaps. But here you are, weaponless and friendless. You pushed all your allies away, and it brought you here." He sighed. "I tried to make you a harder man, but you chose to push your friends away, not realizing that your true strength came as a unit. You failed to grasp the lesson."

Hiccup grinned and picked up the knife Thuggory had left on the ground. "I grasped it. Just slowly. Now!" In one fluid motion, he threw the knife, succeeding in lodging the blade in Viggo's shoulder. At the same time, Thuggory and Astrid came barging in, taking Viggo's sword and kicking him to the ground.

Hiccup took Inferno from Astrid and ignited it, resting the point on Viggo's injured shoulder. "I could kill you. I _should _kill you."

Viggo looked at him, face twisted with pain. "Then why don't you?"

Hiccup smiled and deactivated Inferno, returning the sword to his belt. "Because you don't get to change who I am." He nodded at Astrid. "Let's go."

* * *

"You know he's going to get free again."

Hiccup sighed and watched Alvin lead Viggo into his most secure cell. "If he does, we'll be ready." He swallowed. "Go with the Riders back to the Edge. I need to finish up here with Alvin and speak with Valhallarama." He turned and looked at Astrid, taking her hands. "You have my word, I will come back to the Edge."

After a long second, Astrid forced herself to nod. "Your word."

As they left, Hiccup walked up to Alvin. "That going to hold him?"

Alvin shrugged. "Ehhh. Might a'ter I meke a few…adjustments to his body."

Hiccup shook his head. "Leave him as is. I don't need someone seeing the mutilated body and wanted vengeance."

Alvin sighed and nodded. "Fine." He clapped Hiccup on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Anything I can do for yer?"

Hiccup closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, there is." He lowered his head. "I need you to go back to Berk to help Gobber."

"'Iccup…"

With a fierce effort of will, Hiccup pushed everything back, drawing to his full height. "Stoick would do the same for you."

Alvin nodded. "'E would. But yer…?"

"Not returning." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless. "The Hunters are still out there. And I'm not going to stop until they're all in here."

* * *

"You know, vengeance can go down like a treat."

Hiccup nodded, staring at the cave wall. "Yeah, Dad used to say that." He glanced at Valhallarama. "Will you let me know if any Dragon Hunters pop up?"

She nodded. "And you're returning to the Edge?"

Hiccup stood. "I am." He fully looked at her. "You know, the last time I really spoke to Dad, I was angry." He looked down. "I'd change that if I could."

Valhallarama laid a hand on his arm. "If Odin allowed that, we would just endlessly undo our mistakes."

"I know." Hiccup sighed. "Another mistake I would undo would be pushing the Riders away. I've learned that friends don't make you weaker, they help you. I never could have taken Viggo out without them." He smiled. "Or her."

Valhallarama clasped his shoulder. "Then go to her, Lad. Fix your mistake."

* * *

"We have a new member." Hiccup nodded at Thuggory, who seemed to be doing his best to ignore Ruffnut's 'alluring' looks. After light cheering-mostly by Ruffnut-Hiccup cleared his throat. "And I-uh-I owe you all. The way I treated you, the way I treated you all, you deserve better. And I'm going to do my best to be better." Hiccup looked at Astrid, who was smiling. Beaming was more like it, but Hiccup decided to be safe. "If you can forgive me, I-I'd like to come back."

Astrid was the first to walk up to him, staring at him for a few seconds before wrapping her arms around him, an action that was soon mirrored by all the other Riders. When the group hug finally dispersed, Hiccup caught Astrid's arm. "Can we talk?"

Astrid led them to his hut, where Hiccup closed the door and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "About?"

Hiccup looked at her. "All of it. Valhallarama helped me see that. So did you. Help me see the truth about myself."

Astrid smiled. "Ouch. That had to hurt."

Hiccup chuckled, but quickly grew more serious. "I forgive you." He nodded once, glancing out the window. "I understand now, you were just defending me. From things that may have hurt me more if I knew about them." He swallowed. "I know that…we might not get back to what we were, but I…" he smiled and held out his hand. "Friends?"

Astrid grinned and shook his hand. "Friends."

* * *

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). ****Let's talk about the ending. For me, this story isn't necessarily a Hiccup vs Viggo story. Viggo is very much a part of it, certainly, but he's not the overall villain. The actual villain in this story is Hiccup. He was caught off guard by Astrid's confession way back in Chapter Six, and his first reaction was to isolate himself from his friends and family. And later, even after realising his mistake, his pride prevented him from reconciling himself to them. Which we see pieces of in RttE. Hiccup is very prideful, going so far as to not tell Stoick about the bounty Viggo placed on him. So Hiccup defeating Viggo, while a huge win, isn't the culmination of the story. Hiccup going back to the Edge and reforging the bonds he has with the Riders? That's the resolution. **

**On that note, I try to keep all my stories well grounded in realism. Ending the story with Hiccup and Astrid picking up right where they left off and instantly moving on to their relationship at the end of Blindsided would just be fake. After everything that Hiccup's done to Astrid, hurting her without fully realising it, there was no way to have these characters go back to what they were, something Hiccup acknowledges. **

**II). So, let's recap. Hiccup is back at the Edge, Viggo is in prison, and the Riders have a new addition in the form of Thuggory. **

**III). There is someone else I haven't talked about ever in this story. Someone who is very close to one of our characters, and whose absense has gone unoticed, and which none of you have commented on. Hmm...**

**Epilogue Monday!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	16. Sequel-Avenger-Time

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed Defender, the story would not have been what it was without your input. Special thanks to Silvolde for commenting on every chapter, and everyone else for your deep reviews. Some made me laugh, and some made me rewrite parts of my story, hence why there's a sequel in the first place. (Looking at you, Wildfire's Flame and CHSHiccstrid)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

If he had time to think, he would have thought of her. The one that, even after everything, had stood by him, believed in him. The one that was a solid anchor on his bad days, the one person he could count on more than anyone or anything. The only person he could trust without a doubt when his memory wasn't up to par.

Astrid Hofferson.

If he had time to think, he would have thought to thank her for being that anchor, that rock. To apologise for events outside either of their control that had simultaneously pushed them into each others arms and away. To pass the torch to her, to instruct her in everything she needed to know to defeat their enemies in his absence.

If he had time, he would have loved her. Done whatever it took to return to that blissfully happy time before Viggo. Before the Submarriper. Before the lies had torn them apart, almost beyond repair. But it wasn't beyond repair, the past two years proved that. The relationship, broken and disjointed as it was, wasn't destroyed. Damaged, maybe, but not destroyed.

He barely had time to think of Thuggory, or Valka, or any of the other Riders who would grieve in the coming days. Because they knew who he was, the lengths he would go to in order to fix the wrongs that had been dealt to Berk, the Riders, and him personally. He had prepared them for this eventuality.

But Astrid wouldn't understand. Even after analysing the problem over and over, struggling to find any solution, even after finally accepting the end of his story, she'd still question why. No matter what, her other half would still be missing.

There was no time to give any more information, to pass any further advice. No time to have one final moment with his closest friends.

He did have time-the briefest of seconds-to think of what would come after. He might see his Dad again, if the gods allowed it.

Hiccup Haddock's final thought before the pain overtook him, as the warmth of Astrid's hand in his faded to be as cold as the rest of his body, as her crying reassurances faded in his ears, was that he once had the time. Back then, he could have said every unspoken word left on his tongue. He forced his lips into one final, farewell smile as the darkness approached.

He was out of time.

* * *

**Something sequelly comes your way!**

**Short, but it's a epilogue, not a chapter (although those are pretty short too). **

**For those of you who liked Dark Hiccup, this upcoming story is going places I think you'll enjoy...**

**I'll post another piece closer to the release of Avenger.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


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